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The COMPLETE BOOK OF

POSES for ARTISTS Ken Goldman & Stephanie Goldman

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Quarto is the authority on a wide range of topics. Quarto educates, entertains, and enriches the lives of our readers— enthusiasts and lovers of hands-on living. www.quartoknows.com

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© 2017 Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc. Published by Walter Foster Publishing, a division of Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc. All rights reserved. Walter Foster is a registered trademark. All artwork © 2017 Ken Goldman and Stephanie Goldman, except pages 8-9, 12-13, 14-17, 18 (“Placement”), 20-21, 40-41, 108, 142, 152-153, 176 © WFP; pages 18 (“Lighting the Model”), 33 (bottom) © 2008 Lance Richlin; pages 19 © William F. Powell; pages 22-32, 33 (top), 34-35 © 2004, 2005, 2011, 2016 Ken Goldman; pages 36-39, 57 (“Drawing from a Different Angle”), 64 (“Rendering Hair: Creating Ringlets”), 73 (“Toddlers’ Limbs”), 90 (“Differences in Male and Female Hands” and “Young Female Feet”), 106 (“Rendering Hair”), page 129 (“Rendering Fabrics”), 143, 177, 206 (“Creating Drama”) © 2006 Debra Kauffman Yaun; page 48 (“Creating a Reference Point”) © 2015 Jennifer Gennari; pages 111 (pencil strokes), 189 (“Accessories”), 197 (“Effects of Aging”), 198-199, 212-217, 236-239 © 2006, 2009, 2011, 2015 Diane Cardaci; pages 123, 136 (“Working with Erasers” and “Drawing with an Eraser”), 147 (“Using a Kneaded Eraser”), 182 (“Working in Conté Crayon”), 205 © 2014 Elizabeth T. Gilbert; page 159 © 2011 Nathan Rohlander. All photographs © Shutterstock. Editorial Project Manager & Content Editor: Elizabeth T. Gilbert Digital edition: 978-1-63322-3-738 Hardcover edition: 978-1-63322-1-376 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission of the copyright owners. All images in this book have been reproduced with the knowledge and prior consent of the artists concerned, and no responsibility is accepted by producer, publisher, or printer for any infringement of copyright or otherwise, arising from the contents of this publication. Every effort has been made to ensure that credits accurately comply with information supplied. We apologize for any inaccuracies that may have occurred and will resolve inaccurate or missing information in a subsequent reprinting of the book.

6 Orchard Road, Suite 100 Lake Forest, CA 92630 quartoknows.com Visit our blogs at quartoknows.com This book has been produced to aid the aspiring artist. Reproduction of work for study or finished art is permissible. Any art produced or photomechanically reproduced from this publication for commercial purposes is forbidden without written consent from the publisher, Walter Foster Publishing. Printed in China 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2

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The COMPLETE BOOK OF

POSES for ARTISTS

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Table of Contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Tools & Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Part I: Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Basic Drawing Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Form & Value. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 People in Perspective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Portraiture Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Learning to “See” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Basic Anatomy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 Adult Head & Facial Anatomy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32 Adult Facial Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35 Child Head & Facial Proportions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36 Child Body Proportions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Part II: Basic Poses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Standing Poses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Casual Standing Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Sitting Poses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88 Posing Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 Using Hands to Express Mood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117 Reclining Poses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124 Taking Artistic Liberties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

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Part III: Dynamic Poses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141 Introduction to Movement & Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .142 Bodies in Motion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144 Sports Figures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150 Children in Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .170

Part IV: Expressive Poses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .181 Capturing the Details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .182 Rendering Mood & Emotion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202

Part V: Compositions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219 Composing with Purpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220

About the Artists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .240

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Introduction Perhaps there is no other subject in art that is more intimate or rewarding than figure drawing. From the earliest cave paintings to stunning artwork by Michelangelo, the human fascination with capturing our likeness in twodimensional form spans thousands and thousands of years. Today, it remains one of the most popular subjects in art education. The Complete Book of Poses for Artists offers everything you need to begin or further your journey in drawing people. Featuring artwork and instruction from renowned artists Ken and Stephanie Goldman, this book provides a strong foundation for figure drawing by first discussing anatomy and human proportions in great detail. Tips, exercises, and example drawings are then offered, covering topics such as suggesting movement, rendering age, conveying emotion, and creating engaging compositions. Featuring more than 150 photo references showcasing a wide variety of poses—from traditional stances to figures in action and children at play—you can develop your skills for hours upon hours with no need for a model. Practice is the key to success, and with The Complete Book of Poses for Artists, you’ll have more than enough material to master the art of drawing people.

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Tools & Materials Drawing Paper Drawing paper is available in a range of surface textures (called “tooth”), including smooth grain (plate finish and hot pressed), medium grain (cold pressed), and rough to very rough. Cold-pressed paper is the most versatile and is great for a variety of drawing techniques. For finished works of art, using single sheets of drawing paper is best.

Erasers There are several types of art erasers. Plastic erasers are useful for removing hard pencil marks and large areas. Kneaded erasers (a must) can be molded into different shapes and used to dab at an area, gently lifting tone from the paper.

Sketch Pads Sketch pads come in many shapes and sizes. Although most are not designed for finished artwork, they are useful for working out your ideas.

Tortillons These paper “stumps” can be used to blend and soften small areas when your finger or a cloth is too large. You also can use the sides to blend large areas quickly. Once the tortillons become dirty, simply rub them on a cloth, and they’re ready to go again.

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Drawing Implements Drawing pencils, the most common drawing tool and the focus of this book, contain a graphite center. They are categorized by hardness, or grade, from very soft (9B) to very hard (9H). A good starter set includes a 6B, 4B, 2B, HB, B, 2H, 4H, and 6H. The chart below shows a variety of drawing tools and the kinds of strokes you can achieve with each one.

HB sharp point

4B charcoal Vine charcoal

HB round point HB An HB with a sharp point produces crisp lines and offers good control. A round point produces slightly thicker lines and is useful for shading small areas.

4B flat point

White charcoal Charcoal 4B charcoal is soft and produces dark marks. Natural charcoal vines are even softer and leave a more crumbly residue on the paper. White charcoal pencils are useful for blending and lightening areas.

Conté crayon Flat sketching Conté pencil Flat For wider strokes, use a 4B with a flat point. A large, flat sketch pencil is great for shading bigger areas.

Conté Crayon or Pencil Conté crayon is made from very fine Kaolin clay and is available in a wide range of colors. Because it’s water soluble, it can be blended with a wet brush or cloth.

Sharpening Your Pencils

A Utility Knife Use this tool to form a variety of points (chiseled, blunt, or flat). Hold the knife at a slight angle to the pencil shaft, and always sharpen away from you, taking off a little wood and graphite at a time.

A Sandpaper Block This tool will quickly hone the lead into any shape you wish. The finer the grit of the paper, the more controllable the point. Roll the pencil in your fingers when sharpening to keep its shape even.

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PART 1:

Techniques

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Techniques

Basic Drawing Techniques You can create a variety of effects, lines, and strokes with pencil simply by alternating hand positions and shading techniques. Many artists use two main hand positions for drawing. The writing position is good for detailed work that requires hand control. The underhand position allows for a freer stroke with arm movement and motion that is similar to painting.

The Writing Position The writing position provides the most control in which to produce accurate, precise lines for rendering fine details and accents.

The Underhand Position Place your hand over the pencil and grasp it between the thumb and index finger. Allow your other fingers to rest alongside the pencil. This position is great for creating beautiful shading effects and long, sweeping lines.

Shading Techniques The shading techniques below can help you learn to render everything from a smooth complexion and straight hair to shadowed features and simple backgrounds. Whatever techniques you use, always remember to shade evenly.

Hatching This basic method of shading involves filling an area with a series of parallel strokes. The closer the strokes, the darker the tone.

Crosshatching For darker shading, place layers of parallel strokes on top of one another at varying angles. Again, make darker values by placing the strokes closer together.

Gradating To create graduated values (from dark to light), apply heavy pressure with the side of your pencil.

Shading Darkly By applying heavy pressure to the pencil, you can create dark, linear areas of shading.

Shading with Texture For a mottled texture, use the side of the pencil tip to apply small, uneven strokes.

Blending To smooth out the transitions between strokes, gently rub the lines with a tortillon or tissue.

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Practicing Lines When drawing lines, it is not necessary to always use a sharp point. In fact, sometimes a blunt point may create a more desirable effect. When using larger lead diameters, the effect of a blunt point is even more evident. Play around with your pencils to familiarize yourself with the different types of lines they can create.

Drawing with a Sharp Point The lines at left were drawn with a sharp point. Draw parallel, curved, wavy, and spiral lines; then practice varying the weight of the lines as you draw. Os, Vs, and Us are some of the most common alphabet shapes used in drawing.

Drawing with a Blunt Point The shapes at left were drawn using a blunt point. Note how the blunt point produced different images. You can create a blunt point by rubbing the tip of the pencil on a sandpaper block or on a rough piece of paper.

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Techniques Other Pencil Techniques Below are a few more techniques for experimenting in graphite. For these exercises, you will need hard and soft pencils, as well as a water-soluble pencil. Creating a Graphite Wash Shade an area with water-soluble pencil and blend the strokes with a wet brush. Always use water-soluble pencil on thick paper, such as vellum board, and avoid using too much water on the brush.

Lifting Out Blend a soft pencil on smooth paper, and then lift out the desired area with a kneaded eraser. You can create highlights and other interesting effects with this technique.

Rubbing Place paper over an object and rub the side of your pencil lead over the paper. The strokes of your pencil will pick up the pattern underneath and replicate it on the paper. Try using a soft pencil on smooth paper, and choose an object with a strong textural pattern, such as a wire grid, as shown at left.

Producing Indented Lines “Draw” a pattern or design with a sharp, non-marking object such as a knitting needle or stylus. Next, shade over the area with the side of your pencil to reveal the pattern.

Smudging Smudging is an important technique for creating shading and gradients. Use a tortillon or chamois cloth to blend your strokes. It is important that you do not use your finger; your hands produce natural oils that can damage your artwork. Smudging on Rough Surfaces For a granular effect, use a 6B pencil on vellumfinish Bristol board. Stroke with the side of the pencil; then blend with a tortillon.

Smudging on Smooth Surfaces Use a 4B pencil on plate-finish Bristol board. Stroke with the side of the pencil; then blend with a tortillon.

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Form & Value Drawing consists of three main elements: line, shape, and form. The shape of an object can be described with a simple one-dimensional line. The three-dimensional version of the shape is known as the object’s form. In pencil drawing, variations in value (the relative lightness or darkness of black or a color) describe form, giving an object the illusion of depth. Values range from black (the darkest value) through different shades of gray to white (the lightest value). To make a two-dimensional object appear three-dimensional, you must pay attention to the values of the highlights and shadows. When shading a subject, consider the light source, as this is what determines where highlights and shadows will be.

Rectangle

Cylinder

Circle

Sphere

Triangle

Square

Cone

Cube

Moving from Shape to Form The first step in creating an object is establishing a line drawing or outline to delineate the flat area that the object takes up. This is known as the “shape” of the object. The four basic shapes—the rectangle, circle, triangle, and square—can appear to be three-dimensional by adding a few carefully placed lines that suggest additional planes. By adding ellipses to the rectangle, circle, and triangle, you’ve given the shapes dimension and have begun to produce a form within space. Now the shapes are a cylinder, sphere, and cone. Add a second square above and to the side of the first square; then connect them with parallel lines, and you have a cube. Highlight

Highlight

Core shadow Reflected light

Cast shadow

Highlight Core shadow

Reflected light

Highlight

Core shadow

Reflected light

Cast shadow

Core shadow

Cast shadow

Cast shadow

Adding Value to Create Form A shape can be further defined by showing how light hits the object to create highlights and shadows. Note from which direction the source of light is coming; then add the shadows accordingly. The core shadow is the darkest area on the object and is opposite the light source. The cast shadow is what is thrown onto a nearby surface by the object. The highlight is the lightest area on the object, where the reflection of light is strongest. Reflected light is the surrounding light reflected into the shadowed area of an object.

Creating Value Scales Just as a musician uses a musical scale to measure a range of notes, an artist uses a value scale to measure changes in value. You can refer to the value scale so you’ll always know how dark to make your dark values and how light to make your highlights. The scale also serves as a guide for transitioning from lighter to darker shades. Making your own value scale will help familiarize you with the different variations in value. Work from light to dark, adding more and more tone for successively darker values (as shown above left); then create a blended value scale (as shown above right). You can use a tortillon to smudge and blend each value into its neighboring value from light to dark to create a gradation.

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Techniques

People in Perspective To practice perspective, try drawing a frontal view of many heads as if they were people sitting in a theater. Start by establishing your vanishing point at eye level. Draw one large head representing the person closest to you, and use it as a reference for determining the sizes of the other figures in the drawing. Keep in mind that a composition also can have two or more vanishing points.

Vanishing point (VP)

Horizon line

VP

Horizon line

VP

Horizon line

Note that objects appear smaller and less detailed as they recede into the distance.

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VP

If you’re a beginner, you may want to begin with basic one-point perspective. As you progress, attempt to incorporate two- or three-point perspective.

VP

Horizon line

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Techniques

Portraiture Basics The positioning and size of a person on the picture plane is of utmost importance to the composition. The open or “negative” space around the portrait subject generally should be larger than the area occupied by the subject. Whether you are drawing only the face, a head-and-shoulders portrait, or a complete figure, thoughtful positioning will establish a pleasing composition with proper balance.

Placement The eyes of the subject are the key to placement. The eyes catch the viewer’s attention first, so they should not be placed on either the horizontal or vertical center line of the picture plane; preferably, the eyes should be placed above the center line. Avoid drawing too near the sides, top, or bottom of the picture plane, as this gives an uneasy feeling of imbalance.

Too far right

Good placement

Too low

Lighting the Model Whether you’re working from life or creating a reference photo, how you light the model will play a huge role in the mood and overall success of your drawing. Below are two drawings of the same woman by artist Lance Richlin, which were completed with two different lighting styles. The side lighting (left) creates a harsher look with distinct shadows and more contrast. The front lighting (right) produces a more feminine, delicate image. Side Lighting This method involves a dark room with one light positioned to the model’s side. This lighting style creates harsh shadows and lines on the face and neck, making the model look older, more serious, and perhaps more powerful or distinguished.

Front Lighting This method involves a well-lit room with one light placed in front of the model. This lighting style reduces shadows, resulting in more flattering (but less dramatic) portraits.

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s

Adding Elements to Portraits Many portraits are drawn without backgrounds to avoid distracting the viewer from the subject. If you do add background elements to portraits, be sure to control the size, shape, and arrangement of elements surrounding the figure. Additions should express the personality or interests of the subject. Repetition of Shapes within the Portrait The delicate features of this young woman are emphasized by the simple, abstract elements in the background. The flowing curves fill much of the negative space, while accenting the elegance of the woman’s hair and features. Simplicity of form is important in this composition; the portrait highlights only her head and neck. Notice that her eyes meet the eyes of the viewer—a dramatic and compelling feature.

Depicting the Subject’s Interest This portrait of a young man includes a background that shows his interest in rocketry. The straight lines in the background contrast the rounded shapes of the human form. Although the background detail is complex, it visually recedes and serves to balance the man’s weight. The focus remains on the man’s face.

Using a photo of a friend or relative, experiment with adding varied backgrounds. See how each choice can change the mood and appearance of that portrait.

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Techniques

Learning to “See” Many beginners draw without really looking carefully at their subject; instead of drawing what they actually see, they draw what they think they see. Try drawing something you know well, such as your hand, without looking at it. Chances are your finished drawing won’t look as realistic as you expected. That’s because you drew what you think your hand looks like. Instead, you need to forget about all your preconceptions and learn to draw only what you really see. The following contour drawing exercises are great for training your eye and hand to work together to represent what is truly in front of you.

Contour Drawing In contour drawing, you pick a starting point on your subject and then draw only the contours—or outlines— of the shapes you see. Because you’re not looking at your paper, you’re training your hand to draw the lines exactly as your eye sees them. Try doing some contour drawings of your own; you’ll be surprised at how well you’re able to capture the subjects.

Drawing with a Continuous Line When drawing this figure, glance only occasionally at your paper to check that you are on track. Concentrate on looking at the subject and tracing the outlines you see. Do not lift your pencil between shapes; keep the lines unbroken by freely looping back and crossing over previous lines. This simple technique effectively captures the subject.

To test your observation skills, study an object very closely for a few minutes, and then close your eyes and try drawing it from memory, letting your hand follow the mental image.

Drawing “Blind” For the contour drawing on the left, the artist occasionally looked down at the paper. The drawing on the right is an example of a blind contour drawing, where the artist drew without looking at his paper even once. It’s a little distorted, but it’s clearly a hand. Blind contour drawing is one of the best ways of making sure you’re truly drawing only what you see.

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Action Once you have trained your eye to observe carefully and can draw quickly, you’ll be able to capture actions such as this child looking and then reaching into the bag.

Transferring an Image A quick way to achieve an accurate drawing, without the initial stages of sketching, is to transfer the main lines of a photographic reference onto your drawing paper. First, print out your reference at the size you plan to draw it. Then place a sheet of tracing paper over the printout and trace the outlines. Coat the back of the tracing paper with an even layer of graphite and place it over a clean sheet of drawing paper, graphite-side down. (Instead of coating the back of the tracing paper, you might choose to purchase and use transfer paper, which already has one side coated with graphite.) Tape or hold the papers together and lightly trace your outlines with a ballpoint pen or stylus. The lines of your tracing paper will transfer to the drawing paper below.

While tracing the lines, occasionally lift the corner of the sketch (and the transfer paper, if present) to make sure the lines that have transferred aren’t too light or too dark.

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Techniques

Basic Anatomy Front Torso

clavicle

jugular notch

trapezius

sternomastoid acromion process

deltoid

humerus

pectoralis major

sternum xiphoid process thoracic arch

latissimus dorsi serratus anterior

10th rib

linea alba external oblique

iliac crest pelvic girdle

anterior superior iliac spine

anterior inferior iliac spine

rectus abdominus

symphysis pubis

great trochanter

Skeleton Some parts of the skeletal system are important to the artist because they are prominent and serve as visual landmarks. Several bones of the torso’s frontal skeleton are obvious even beneath the skin, including the clavicles, acromion processes, sternum, thoracic arch, 10th rib, anterior superior iliac spines, and great trochanters. The spinal column comprises 24 vertebrae, divided into 3 sections: The cervical (or neck) region has 7 vertebrae, the thoracic (or chest) region has 12, and the lumbar (or lower back) region has 5.

Trunk Muscles The torso’s movement is dependent on and restricted by the spine—both the chest and the pelvis twist and turn on this fixed, yet flexible, column. And the relationship between the rib cage, the shoulders, and the pelvis creates the shape of the trunk muscles. The pectoral (breast) muscles are divided by the sternum, the rectus abdominus is divided by the linea alba, and the external obliques—which are interwoven with the serratus anterior— bind the eight lowest ribs to the pelvic girdle.

sternomastoid

clavicle

trapezius acromion process

jugular notch

sternum

pectoralis major

deltoid xiphoid process

latissimus dorsi serratus anterior 10th rib

linea alba

Diagram of Landmarks The observable muscles and bony landmarks labeled on the illustration above are the most important for artists who want to draw the torso’s surface anatomy from the front view. Focus on accurately portraying these anatomical features to achieve a lifelike drawing, such as the example at right.

Drawing Tips Use the bony skeletal landmarks, which are apparent despite the layers of muscles, to guide the placement of the features. For example, the nipples align vertically with the anterior spines of the iliac crest. Note also that the pectoralis major sweeps across the chest and over to the arm, ending nearly horizontal to the nipples.

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Back Torso 7th cervical vertebrae clavicle

7th cervical vertebrae acromion process

spine of scapula

acromion process

humerus inner margin of scapula

deltoid infraspinatus

11th and 12th ribs

12th thoracic vertebrae

lumbar region

iliac crest

inner margin of scapula 12th thoracic vertebrae sacrospinalis

posterior superior iliac spine

sternomastoid trapezius spine of scapula teres minor teres major serratus anterior latissimus dorsi external oblique iliac crest gluteus medius

sacrum

sacrum

great trochanter

posterior superior iliac spine

Skeleton The back is one of the most challenging parts of the body to draw because of its skeletal and muscular complexity. From the artist’s point of view, the most important bones visible from the rear skeletal view are the 7th cervical vertebrae, the posterior superior iliac spines (dimples on the pelvic girdle), and the sacrum, which together form the sacral triangle—a major anatomical landmark at the base of the spine.

Trunk Muscles The back has many overlapping muscles; our focus will be on the upper layer, which is more immediately apparent to the eye. The trapezius connects the skull to the scapula (shoulder blade) muscles—deltoid, infraspinatus, teres minor, and teres major—which connect to the arm. The latissimus dorsi attaches under the arm, extending to the pelvis. And the gluteus medius bulges at the hip before meeting with the gluteus maximus.

nuchal ligament

trapezius

7th cervical vertebrae

7th cervical vertebrae acromion process

infraspinatus deltoid teres major inner margin of scapula latissimus dorsi

infraspinatus

spine of scapula

teres major

serratus anterior

inner margin of scapula

spine of scapula deltoid

sacrospinalis external oblique

iliac crest

gluteus medius

sacral triangle

posterior superior iliac spine

Diagram of Landmarks The observable muscles and bony landmarks labeled on the illustration above are the most important for artists who want to draw the torso’s surface anatomy from the rear view. Focus on accurately rendering these anatomical markers to achieve a lifelike drawing, such as the example at right.

Drawing Tips Under the skin, back muscles are not easy to discern. However, the trapezius, 7th cervical vertebrae, spine of scapula, inner margin of scapula, deltoid, infraspinatus, and teres major are all fairly evident. To depict the nuchal ligament, 7th cervical vertebrae, spinal column, and sacral triangle, draw a long line and an upside-down triangle.

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Techniques Arms & Hands

A. clavicle B. acromion process deltoid

C. humerus biceps brachialis D. outer epicondyle D pronator teres E. inner epicondyle E

E

D brachioradialis

F. radius G. ulna flexor carpi radiales H. head of radius palmerus longus

H

flexor carpi ulnaris

I. head of ulna

H

I

J. carpals

I

K. metacarpals

L. phalanges Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Bones The underlying skeletal structure determines much of the overall shape of the arm (figure 1). Several elements of this substructure, such as the inner epicondyle (E), act as visual landmarks that are identifiable even under layers of muscle (figure 2) and skin (figure 3). Muscles The upper and lower portions of the arm each consist of three major muscle masses. The bicep and brachialis of the upper arm bend the lower arm, the tricep straightens it, and the deltoid raises the entire arm. In the lower arm, the flexors (flexor carpi radiales, palmerus longus, and flexor carpi ulnaris) bend the palm and clench the fingers; the extensors on the back of the arm straighten the palm and open the fingers; and the supinators (brachioradialis), attached to the outer epicondyle (D, figure 1) on the outside arm, rotate the hand outward. A fourth, smaller muscle, the pronator teres, rotates the palm inward.

deltoid

bicep

brachialis

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A. clavicle B. acromion process

deltoid

triceps (long head)

C. humerus

triceps (outer head) D. inner epicondyle brachialis brachioradialis E. outer epicondyle

E

D

F. olecranon

E

D extensor carpi radialis longus

F

anconeus

F

extensor carpi ulnaris

G. radius

extensor digitorum

H. ulna

abductor pollicis longus extensor pollicis brevis

I. head of radius

I I

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Bones Much of the overall shape of the arm in the back view is determined by the underlying skeletal structure, just as with the front view. The inner and outer epicondyle (D and (E), are again identifiable, even under layers of muscle. And from this view, the olecranon, or elbow (F), also is evident. Muscles Muscles work in opposing pairs: Flexors pull and extensors extend, moving in the opposite direction. When a flexor or extensor muscle becomes active, its opposite becomes passive. From the back view, when the hand is pronate (illustrated in figures 2 and 3 above), extensor groups are the most prominent muscles. On the upper arm, the tricep is the most visible extensor. On the lower arm, extensor carpi radialis longus, extensor carpi ulnaris, and extensor digitorum, which all originate on the outer epicondyle, are evident.

long head outer head triceps tendon

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Techniques Clenched Fist A. acromion process B. coracoid process

deltoid

triceps (long head) triceps (outer head) C. humerus

biceps brachialis

brachioradialis

D. olecranon

extensor carpi radialis longus E. outer epicondyle anconeus extensor digitorum F. radius extensor carpi ulnaris G. ulna flexor digitorum

H. head of ulna

I. head of radius

Bones Here the arm is not viewed in full profile; rather it is seen from an angle that is a combination of a side view and a back view. Because of the angle, the bony landmarks most apparent under the muscle are the olecranon, outer epicondyle, and head of ulna. Muscles The side view provides a good angle for observing the extensors and flexors of the upper and lower arm. The brachioradialis, located where the upper and lower arms meet, is particularly important. It originates on the lateral side of the humerus (C), above the outer epicondyle (E), and then attaches to the lateral side of the wrist above the head of radius (I).

Drawing Tips Rotated arm The brachioradialis is responsible for turning the palm up (supinate), and the pronator teres for turning the palm down (pronate). The radius (shaded) rotates around the fixed ulna, permitting pronation and supination of the palm.

Bent arm The span between the inside bend of the elbow and the wrist is usually about one hand length. The arrows show the inward and outward curvature of the muscles, and the dashed line shows the line of the ulna, called the “ulnar furrow.”

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Open Palm A 4

B

5

3

C

6

2

7 8

1

D

I J

9

E

H

G

F

10

Bones The hand contains 8 wrist (carpal) bones: minor multangular (1), major multangular (2), navicular (3), lunate (4), triquetrum (5), pisiform (6), hamate (7), and capitate (8). The hand also features 5 metacarpals (9) and 14 phalanges (10).

Muscles The flexor tendons (A, B, C) from the forearm muscles extend into the hand. The teardrop-shaped muscle masses, the thenar eminence abductors of the thumb (I, J) and the hypothenar eminence abductor (D) and flexor (E) of the little finger, are known as the “palmer hand muscles.” The adductor of the thumb (G) lies under the flexor tendons (F). The visible creases of the palm result from the way the skin folds over the fat and muscles of the hand.

Back of Hand 4 5 6 7

3

A

2 1

B

9

8

10

Bones From this view of the hand, all the same bones are visible, but the carpal bones appear convex rather than concave. From this angle, the bones have more influence on the shape of the fleshed-out hand.

C

Muscles Whereas the palm side of the hand is muscular and fatty, the back of the hand is bony and full of tendons. The extensor tendons of the thumb (A) are visible when contracted, as are the other four extensor tendons (C). The first dorsal interosseous (B) is the largest of the four dorsal interosseous muscles, and it is the only one that shows its form through the skin’s surface; when the thumb is flexed, this muscle appears as a bulging teardrop shape.

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Techniques Legs & Feet

tensor fascia lata adductor group

A

vastus externus

A. great trochanter

rectus femoris vastus internus

sartorius

B. femur D C. outer epicondyle G D. inner epicondyle E. patella

gastrocnemius

F. tibial tuberosity

tibialis anterior

G. head of the fibula

soleus

H. fibula

flexor digitorum longus

I. tibia extensor digitorum longus peroneus longus J. inner malleolus K. outer malleolus

Bones The femur (B), with its great trochanter at the top (A) and outer epicondyles (C) and inner epicondyles (D) at the base, is the heaviest and longest bone of the skeletal system. The knee cap (patella) sits in between the outer epicondyles and inner epicondyles on the patellar surface. The lower leg consists of the thick tibia (I) and the slender fibula (H). The tibial tuberosity (F) and head of the fibula (G) are important landmarks at the top, as are the ankle bones (the inner malleolus and outer malleolus). Muscles The upper leg has four major muscle masses: vastus externus, which attaches to the knee cap (E); rectus femoris, which engulfs the patella (E) and continues toward the tibial tuberosity (F); vastus internus, a medial bulge; and the adductor group on the inside of the leg. There also are two other masses: the tensor fascia lata and the sartorius. The sartorius is the longest muscle in the body. The lower leg has six long muscles visible: gastrocnemius, protruding on both sides; tibialis anterior, running along the shin toward the big toe; soleus; flexor digitorum longus; extensor digitorum longus; and peroneus longus. Drawing Tips The legs angle in toward the middle, positioning the body’s weight over the gravitational center (figures 1 and 2). The muscle masses on the outside of the leg are higher than those on the inside (figure 3). The ankles are just the reverse—high inside, low outside.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

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gluteus medius gluteus maximus adductor group semitendinosus A. great trochanter vastus externus biceps femoris B. femur semimembranosus popliteal fossa C. inner condyle gastrocnemius

D. outer condyle

E. head of the fibula F. tibia inner soleus

G. fibula

outer soleus

Achilles tendon H. inner malleolus I. outer malleolus

Bones From the back view, the same leg bones that appear in the front view are visible. Their appearance is slightly altered, however, because the bone attachments in the front are designed to allow muscles to extend, and the back attachment is designed for muscles to flex. Muscles The upper leg consists of five large muscle masses: gluteus maximus; gluteus medius; the hamstring group (biceps femoris, semitendinosus, and semimembranosus); the adductor group; and the vastus externus, which can be seen peeking out from behind the biceps femoris. The lower leg also features five masses: three larger ones and two smaller. The larger masses are the two heads of the calf: the gastrocnemius and the Achilles tendon, which connects to the heel bone. The two smaller masses are the inner soleus and outer soleus. Also notice the hollow area behind the knee where the calf tendons attach, called the “popliteal fossa”; this fatty hollow makes deep knee bends possible. Drawing Tips The calf is lower and rounder on the inside than it is on the outside (figure 1). The hamstring tendons grip below the knee on both sides, almost like a pair of tongs (figure 2).

Figure 1

Figure 2

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Techniques

T tensor fasciae lata

rectus femoris

A. great trochanter

vastus externus

illio-tibial band

B. femur

biceps femoris

popliteal fossa C. patella patellar ligament gastrocnemius

D. outer condyle

tibialis anterior

E. tibial tuberosity F. head of fibula

soleus

G. fibula

extensor digitorum longus

H. tibia

peroneus longus Achilles tendon

I. outer malleolus

Bones and Muscles Because the long femur (B), and large tibia (H) carry the weight of the body, they sit directly on top of each other. But in a side-view drawing, the upper and lower leg appear staggered; the front of the shin lines up directly below the illiotibial band muscles and behind the upperleg masses of the rectus femoris and vastus externus. In the lower leg, the forms to look for are the gastrocnemius; the long, straight form of the Achilles tendon; the peroneus longus tendon, which passes behind the outer malleolus (I) and the bulk of the extensor digitorum longus; and the tibialis anterior, toward the front of the leg.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Drawing Tips The six arrows in figure 1 show the overall gesture of the leg. The upper thigh and lower calf create the gesture (figure 2). Figure 3 shows the pattern of tendons in the foot.

Figure 3

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Top A. talus

B. calcaneus

1. extensor digitorum longus

C. navicular 2. extensor digitorum brevis

D. cuboid

3. tibialis anterior

E. cuneiforms

F. metatarsals

4. extensor hallucis longus

G. phalanges

Side

3 B. calcaneus

A. talus

1

C. navicular E. cuneiforms F. metatarsals G. phalanges Figure 1

D. cuboid

Figure 2

5

6

5. peroneus tertius 2

2. extensor digitorum brevis

1

1. extensor digitorum longus

Figure 3

6 6. peroneus longus

7

7. abductor digiti minimi

Bones Like the hand, the foot also comprises three parts: seven tarsal bones (A–E), five metatarsals (F), and fourteen phalanges (G). The tarsal bones include the ankle, heel, and instep. The metatarsals are longer and stronger than the five metacarpals of the hand, and they end at the ball of the foot. The phalanges of the toes are shorter than those of the fingers and thumb; the four small toes press and grip the ground surface, and the big toe tends to have a slight upward thrust.

Muscles When the foot is flexed upward, these tendons are evident: extensor digitorum longus (1), extensor digitorum brevis (2), tibialis anterior (3), and extensor hallucis longus (4). (From the side view, extensor digitorum brevis appears as a round shape inside a triangular pocket.) Peroneus longus (6) curves around the ankle, whereas abductor digiti minimi (7) appears as a bulge on the outer side of the foot.

Drawing Tips The tibialis anterior (3) is an obvious landmark on the inverted foot. (See figure 1, above.) In figure 2, dorsi-flexion makes visible the extensor digitorum (1). In figure 3, plantar-flexion lets you see the tendons of peroneus (6).

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Techniques

Adult Head & Facial Anatomy B

C

A

F

E

D

I

G

H

J

K

L

4:00

8:00

M

Becoming familiar with the head and skull is an excellent way to improve your portraiture skills. If you purchase a plastic skull, you can practice drawing the skull from all angles, as shown in the charcoal pencil studies above. Start with an outline of the basic shape of the skull; then block in the shapes of the main features and refine the lines (shown in the upper-right corner). The important skull bones for an artist to know are the parietal eminence (A), frontal bone (B), frontal eminence (C), glabella (D), superciliary crest or “brow ridge” (E), temporal line (F), zygomatic process (G), orbit (H), zygomatic bone (I), maxilla (J), ramus of mandible (K), mandible (L), and mental protuberance (M).

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As you build your knowledge of the skull’s form, work on understanding how these underlying structures shift in relation to each other as you change your viewpoint. If you have a model skull, tilt it and practice sketching it from various angles. Or, use a live model to demonstrate some extreme poses.

As a subject lifts his chin, the tip of the nose becomes much closer to the eyes.

Notice how the brow appears to round as the subject moves his head downward. The eyes are positioned on an arc.

From this angle, the outer corners of the eyes are lower than the inner corners.

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Techniques Front View

Side View

A. frontalis B. temporalis C. obicularis oculi D. nasalis E. levator labii superioris F. zygomaticus minor G. zygomaticus major H. masseter I. risorius J. depressor anguli oris K. depressor labii inferioris L. mentalis M. obicularis oris N. procerus O. occipitalis P. trapezius Q. sternocleidomastoid

N A

B C D E

O

F

G H I J

M

K

P

L

Q

Most of the facial muscles originate from bone and insert into muscle fibers of other facial muscles. They do not create surface form directly, as the skeletal muscles do, because they are much more delicate and usually concealed by facial fat. The visible forms on the face are created by several factors—skin, fatty tissue, underlying skull, cartilage, eyeballs, and some muscles. Simplifying the Features When facial muscles contract, they affect the shape of the fatty forms, skin, and other facial muscles, causing the wrinkles, furrows, ridges, and bulges that convey various facial expressions. Simplifying these complex shapes into easily recognizable geometric planes (the “planes of the head”) can help guide an artist in the proper placement of light and shadow. As an artist, there’s no need to actually sketch the planes, but it helps to understand the planes and visualize them when approaching complex features and shading.

Visualizing Light and Shadow In this final stage, light and shadow are translated from simple planes onto a more subtle, realistic portrait. Selfportraiture is a great way to practice identifying the planes of the head from many different angles. Using a mirror as reference, focus on the placement of the light and dark values that create the form of your face. Just remember to draw what you really see in the mirror, not what you expect to see.

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Adult Facial Features

A

E

D C

B

Drawing Tips The sclera (A) is the white of the eye. The iris (B) is a colored disc that controls the amount of light entering the round opening of the pupil (C). The domelike, transparent cornea (E) sits over the iris. The inner canthus (D) at the corner of the eye is an important feature of the shape of the eye.

The Eye The eyeball is a moist sphere. Because its surface is glossy, the cornea (E) often features a highlight.

Drawing Tips The vertical furrow between the nose and upper lip is the philtrum (A). The tubercle (B) of the upper lip is a small rounded form surrounded by two elongated forms; it fits into the middle of the two elongated forms of the lower lip. The node (C) is an oval muscular form on the outer edge of the mouth.

A B

C

The Lips Because the lips curve around the cylinder of the teeth, it’s helpful to draw and shade the mouth as if it were a sphere.

Drawing Tips The bridge of the nose is formed by two nasal bones (A). The middle section of the nose is made of a rigid septal cartilage (B), surrounded by two lateral cartilages (C). The bulb of the nose is formed by two greater alar cartilages (D). Two wings (E) create the nostrils.

A D

bone

B E

C

cartilage

D E

The Nose The nose is made up of bone, cartilage, and fatty tissue. Halfway down from the eyebrows, cartilage replaces the bone.

A

Drawing Tips The cartilaginous helix (A) forms the outer rim of the ear. The antihelix (C) lies just inside the helix, running roughly parallel to it; the two are divided by the scapha (B). The tragus (D) is a cartilaginous projection, located over the bowl (the concha, G). The antitragus (E) is located opposite the tragus and just above the fatty lobe (F).

A

B 1/3 1/3

G

C

G D

D E

1/3

F

F

The Ear Think of the ear as an oval disc divided into three sections and placed on a diagonal angle.

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Techniques

Child Head & Facial Proportions Children’s proportions are different than those of adults: Young children have rounder faces with larger eyes that are spaced farther apart. Their features also are positioned a little lower on the face; for example, the eyebrows begin on the centerline, where the eyes would be on a teenager or an adult. As a child ages, the shape of the face elongates, altering the proportions.

Vertical centerline Hairline

Horizontal centerline

Brow line

Eyes

Nose Corner of eye and nose line up with side of mouth

Mouth

Placing the Features Based on the placement of this subject’s features, you can estimate that he is around five or six years old. The face has elongated enough to shift the brow line so that it lines up with the tops of the ears, showing that the child is no longer a baby. But the eyes are spaced farther apart, indicating youth. The mouth is still relatively close to the chin, which also emphasizes his young age. (See the diagrams at right for more on the shifting of the features with age.)

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Changing Over Time The placement of the features changes as the face becomes longer and thinner with age. Use horizontal guidelines to divide the area from the horizontal centerline to the chin into equal sections; these lines can then be used to determine where to the place the facial features.

Centerline

Drawing an Infant A baby’s head fits into a square shape, as shown here. Babies have larger foreheads than adults do, so their eyebrows (not their eyes) fall on the horizontal centerline. Their eyes are large in relation to the rest of their features because the eyes are already fully developed at birth.

Centerline

Drawing a Child As a child nears seven or eight years of age, the face has lengthened and fits into more of a rectangular shape. The eyebrows are now well above the horizontal centerline and the eyes are a little closer to the centerline. The ears line up with the bottom of the nose.

Centerline

Drawing a Toddler As a child grows, the forehead shortens a bit and the chin elongates, so the bottoms of the eyebrows now meet the horizontal centerline. The eyes are still more than one eye-width apart, but they are bit closer together than an infant’s eyes are.

Centerline

Drawing a Teenager By age 13, the face is even longer and has lost most of its round shape; now it’s more oval. The eyes are nearly at the centerline, as on an adult’s face, but a teen’s face and eyes are still slightly more rounded and full. The tops of the ears are about even with the eyebrows.

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Techniques

Horizontal centerline

1/2

1/4

Drawing a Baby in Profile The profile of a child usually is very rounded. Youngsters generally have bigger, more protruding foreheads than adults do. And children’s noses tend to be smaller and more rounded, as well. The shape of a baby’s head in profile also fits into a square. Block in the large cranial mass with a circle; then sketch the features. The brow line is at the horizontal centerline, whereas the nose is about one-fourth of the way up the face.

Light eyebrows and wispy hair help indicate a baby’s age; as children get older, their hair grows in thicker.

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Top of head Hairline

Brow line Eyes

Nose Mouth

Adding Children’s Details The features shift slightly in a three-quarter view, as shown here. Although a baby’s features are placed differently on the head than an older child’s are, their facial guidelines shift similarly, following the direction in which the head turns. Place the features according to the guidelines. Hair style and clothing— including accessories—also can influence the perceived age of your subject!

Modifying the Profile As children age, their profiles change quite a bit. The head elongates at each stage: The top of the baby’s eyebrow lines up with the bottom of the toddler’s eyebrow, the midway-point between the young boy’s eyebrow and eyelid, and the top of the teenage girl’s eyelid.

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Techniques

Child Body Proportions The heads and bodies of children differ from those of adults in both size and proportion (or the relative size of body parts to each other). Accurate proportions are the foundation of expressing age in a drawing. The illustrations below demonstrate how to use the size of the head as a measuring unit for drawing children of various ages. If you’re observing your own model, measure exactly how many heads make up the height of the subject’s actual body.

Children are great fun to draw, but because they generally don’t remain still for long periods, start out using photographs as models. 15 years 7-3⁄4 heads

10 years 7 heads 5 years 6 heads 3 years 5 heads 1 year 4 heads

Begin drawing a child by lightly sketching a stick figure in the general pose. Use simple shapes such as circles, ovals, and rectangles to block in the body. Smooth out the shapes into the actual body parts, and add the outline of the clothing.

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A wide stance is a common trait of children’s poses. To keep your youthful subject from appearing off-kilter, it’s a good idea to build the figure around a center of balance.

A

B

C

D

Your figure should be balanced on an imaginary ground plane and a vertical centerline.

Ground plane contact line

Center line of balance

Exercise: Just for Practice

Practice your gesture drawing skills by sketching these children, noting the variations in proportions between ages and individuals.

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Basic PART 11:

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Basic Poses

Standing Poses When drawing the figure in any pose, one of the most important things to account for is the body’s center of gravity. As you study the upright standing poses in this section, keep this in mind and look for the subtle shifts and changes in stature. Without knowing where the center of gravity falls, it can be easy to misplace, which results in the body appearing off balance.

2

Lightly block in the features and carefully draw lines around all areas that will later receive shading.

Front Pose, Wide-Leg Stance

1 The middle division of a standing figure is its anatomical center. At this early stage, keep all pencil lines light and straight. The two halfway marks between the head and feet indicate the placement of the chest and knees.

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Add subtle tone with HB, 2B, and 4B graphite pencils, and then soften with a blending stump and kneaded eraser.

3

Two-dimensional shapes transform into threedimensional figures with the help of shading. The values are what give the anatomy shape and the impression of light falling across the figure. Don’t overthink the process; instead of viewing legs and ribs, think about the smaller shapes created by light and shadow, adding them one value at a time.

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Basic Poses

Similar to the wide-leg stance, this pose requires a little less laying in at the onset. I added textures to the background and light and dark lines around the figure to invigorate the drawing. Notice the slight variation, as the subject gently hooks his thumbs in his front pockets.

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Pose Variations Compare the pose variations above with those below. How would you modify or change your drawings to adjust for differences in the models’ sizes, shapes, and postures? Would you anticipate any challenges in rendering them?

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Basic Poses Front Pose, Hands on Hips

Along with an initial layout of the figure, start with a plumb line (or line that indicates the center of gravity) originating at the pit of the neck.

1

Creating a Reference Point

Shoulder

angle

c Overall width of gesture Hip width

Plum line

Foot angle

Drop a plumb line down the front of the figure to give yourself a strong vertical reference point. If all the touch points are in place, your standing figure won’t appear to lean off to one side. To measure horizontal widths, close one eye and look at the model, gently sliding your fingers along the plumb line.

Center the plumb line directly over the ankle of the weight-bearing leg—this will ensure correct balance.

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2

3

Transform the head, arms, and legs from flat shapes to dimensional forms, such as blocks and cylinders, to add volume to the figure.

In your final rendering, it isn’t necessary to detail every part of a finished figure. Viewers will visually fill in the details with their own imagination.

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Basic Poses

A single hand on the hip can animate a static standing pose. This is a versatile pose, as demonstrated by the many variations shown on the opposite page.

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Pose Variations

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Basic Poses Front Pose, Arms Crossed

When drawing a figure with crossed arms, begin by lightly sketching a boxlike shape for the arms. Construct two opposing triangles for the torso, and mark the location of the shoulders, crotch, and knees. Additionally, locate divisions for the facial features.

1

2

Focus on finding the proper angles and sketching lightly; you’ll see how little it takes to formulate a foundation for a man with crossed arms.

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3

Although your earlier construction lines are now covered up during the rendering process, notice how important those earlier marks were in the underlying features, torso, crotch, and knees. All final details rely on a careful initial lay-in.

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Basic Poses In order to bring more attention to the upper body, crosshatch dark strokes into the dark pants without losing the legs’ gesture.

Front Pose Proportions

Head

3

2

1

Proportion The pelvic girdle is about 1 head high, and the torso—from the trochanters to the 7th cervical vertebrae—is about 3 heads high.

When desired, take advantage of artistic license with your model’s clothing. For example, you can simplify an article of clothing to keep the focus on the head and face. In this drawing, the woman’s layered top (right) has been changed to a classic collared blouse (left).

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Pose Variations Leg positions play a significant role in a viewer’s perception of the model. With the legs spread at hip distance, the poses below express more confidence, whereas the crossed legs at left communicate a more modest, approachable posture.

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Basic Poses Three-Quarter Pose, Back View

1

In this position, the figure’s arm and shoes are foreshortened. Draw these shapes by looking at the negative space around them. If you need more tips on foreshortening, see pages 124 to 126.

2

After the figure is carefully blocked in, render the head first. The darks in the hair and eyes will set the value scale for the rest of the drawing.

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3

When you accurately draw the negative shapes at the beginning, added details and shading turn these carefully drawn two-dimensional shapes into believable threedimensional forms.

Drawing from a Different Angle Because of the way this young girl’s head is tilted back, you see more of her chin and neck than you do the top of her head. The ears appear a bit lower on the head, and you see more of the bottom parts of her eyes. You can even see the underside of the upper eyelid beneath the eyelashes. Even when drawing children from a different angle, the features remain rounded and childlike; for example, you can still get a sense of this girl’s wide-eyed, curious expression, although you see less of the eyes than you would in a forward-facing view. And although the nostrils are a little more prominent in this view, they still retain their soft, smooth shape.

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Basic Poses Pose Variations

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Basic Poses Three-Quarter Pose, Side View

Simplified Figurette

A variation of the three-quarter pose, this drawing demonstrates underlying anatomical shifts as shown through the sweater folds on the side of the body and the crook of the arm.

Creating a Basic Foundation Sketching with simple lines and basic shapes is a good way to establish the base of a figure drawing. Use the photographic reference below to practice creating your own simplified figurette.

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Exercise: Just for Practice

This drawing shows the importance of construction lines and carefully delineated top, side, and bottom planes. Study the shapes in this drawing; then use this sample as a guide to draw other figures of varying shapes and sizes in the threequarter back pose.

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Basic Poses Side Pose, Walking

1

Use lightly curved gesture lines to create a foundation of graceful movement for the early stage of this pose.

The head is almost always the best place to begin a drawing, before you attempt to finalize body proportions.

Note the plumb line that drops directly from the pit of the neck over the weightbearing ankle.

2

Once you’re certain about head size, the head becomes a standard for all further body measurements.

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Once the head is complete, add shading and detail to the rest of the body. The folds and light areas in this figure were created by lifting out dark areas with a kneaded eraser; however, note that no eraser strokes are made randomly. Each mark carefully reveals the underlying anatomical form.

3

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Basic Poses Exercise: Just for Practice Consider the subtle differences in each of these poses and how each requires slight adaptations in technique. Use the steps on pages 60 to 61 as a guide to sketch each of these side poses.

Rendering Hair: Creating Ringlets Step One Begin by sketching the shapes of the ringlets using curved, S-shaped lines. Make sure the ringlets are not too similar in shape; some are thick and some are thin. Step Two To give the ringlets form, squint your eyes to find the dark and light values. Leave the tops of the ringlets (the hair closest to the head) lighter and add a bit more shading as you move down the strands, indicating that the light is coming from above. Step Three To create the darkest values underneath the hair, place the strokes closer together. Step Four Add even darker tones, making sure that your transitions in value are smooth and that there are no abrupt changes in direction.

Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4

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Pose Variations

When drawing hands, be sure the fingers taper gracefully from thick to thin, particularly on female figures.

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Basic Poses Exercise: Just for Practice Study the poses below. Both models are posing at an angle— one leaning prominently forward, the other leaning very slightly back. Sketch each of these poses, paying attention to how you block in their basic shapes to accurately capture the movement and stance of each position.

The diagonal strokes on the shadow side of this woman’s shirt clearly indicate the side plane of her upper arm and torso.

A dark outline and a few lost and found edges add visual interest to this subject.

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Adding Backgrounds Adding tone to a portrait background creates the illusion of depth and space, ensuring that your subject will not appear to be “cut and pasted” on the drawing paper. It also provides a midtone that allows whites and highlights on the subject to “pop” against the paper. Additionally, you can use background tone to balance out a composition. Simple backgrounds with light to medium tone are best, as they will keep the viewer’s focus on your subject. Below is a range of simple background styles to try in your own work.

Hatching and crosshatching is a quick, simple way to add tone and movement to a background.

Try light scribbling for a loose, playful look. In this example, notice how the weight of the tone balances this standing pose.

Soft background tone is great for suggesting shadows and for contrasting the crisp lines of a strongly lit subject.

Varying patches of parallel marks adds an interesting design element and can help you achieve a more even value.

Sometimes a simple cast shadow serves as sufficient background tone. In this example, notice how the tone “grounds” the figure so he doesn’t appear to be floating in space.

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Basic Poses Standing Pose, Child, Forward-Leaning Draw the feet as triangularshaped wedges and the top of the shoulders as an oval. Because the viewer’s eye level is higher than this child, it’s important to indicate the top planes and correct perspective right from the start.

1

2

Think of the eyes, cheeks, and mouth as circles, and carefully place the shapes over the construction lines.

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Use a 2B pencil, kneaded eraser, and blending stump to transform the facial construction circles into detailed eyes cheeks, nose, and mouth. Note how the rounded stripes on the girl’s shirt enhance the sense of a bird’s-eye-view perspective.

3

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Basic Poses Standing Pose, Child, Tilted Stance

Correct balance is the most important part of a standing figure. Even a slight torso tilt must be counterbalanced by a slight head tilt.

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Pose Variations

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Basic Poses Child, Front-Walking

In an active pose such as this, begin by finding proper balance by dropping a plumb line from the pit of the neck. Then lightly sketch the overall shape, making sure all the angles are accurate.

1

2

The space between the eyes should match the width of an eye. Use light circles to suggest placement of the cheeks, torso, and knees. Keep all of your construction lines simple and semi-straight.

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Toddlers’ Limbs

Arm and Hand The arm of a twoyear-old usually is a bit pudgy and has wrinkles at the joints. Deep folds of skin at the inner elbow and wrist are fairly common, as are dimples on the elbow and knuckles.

3

Hand and Fingers The back of a toddler’s hand is chubby and rounded. The fingers are plump and fleshy, even at the tips.

The light source is coming from the left, so all form shadows on the head, arms, and legs are on the right side, except for a shadow cast by the body onto the inside of the right arm. Pay attention as you develop the lights and darks for accurate shadows and highlights.

Legs and Feet The legs are short, which makes them look fairly thick. Plump, two-year-old toes are short, round, and nearly shapeless. The foot is just starting to form an arch at this stage.

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Basic Poses

Casual Standing Positions

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By simply placing one foot forward, a static pose becomes more active.

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Basic Poses

When posing a model, don’t expect success on the first try. Allow your model to experiment with positions, and offer them plenty of specific directions as you work through several poses. Even an experienced model needs some direction from you during a photo shoot.

The model in this pose has a smile worth accentuating. Blending her dark hair into the background brings out her smile.

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A wide range of values from light to dark creates visual excitement.

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Basic Poses

Add more variety by stroking diagonally into the figure and background with a vinyl eraser.

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To add more interest to this casual pose, vary the line directions and add a darker double-line to the rear leg.

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Basic Poses

When weight is placed on the left leg, the left hip goes higher. To maintain this balance, the torso compensates with a counter-tilt.

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Stroke directions should follow forms. Note how vertical pencil lines follow this woman’s cheek plane, while vertical and diagonal eraser strokes describe her torso and chest.

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Basic Poses

A static pose becomes more dynamic by using light and dark lines with varied vigorous strokes.

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Crossed legs and extreme contrast between the model’s dark hair and white shirt are two of the main reasons this pose appears so dynamic.

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Basic Poses

The tilt of this young girl’s head highlights her perky personality. The circular cross-hatched background emphasizes her straight, erect posture.

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This pose is interesting because each arm and leg is positioned differently. Use several types of pencil strokes to add variety.

There is a strong cast shadow under the arms. Here is an important cast shadow rule: It always becomes lighter and softer at the edges as it leaves its source.

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Basic Poses Exercise: Just for Practice One can only draw well that which is well conceived. Guidelines are the secret to accuracy in drawing anything, especially people. Study the drawings on these pages, all of which still retain visible guidelines (see arrows). Notice how naturally and easily it is to build a form from guidelines to shape to final rendering.

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The head is generally divided into thirds: chin to base of nose, base of nose to eyebrows, and eyebrows to hairline. Look at how the guidelines aid in the accurate placement of the facial features.

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Basic Poses

Sitting Poses 2 Seated figures can be more difficult to draw than standing figures. New challenges, including perspective and foreshortening, can be difficult to learn, but with time, patience, and practice, mastering these techniques is achievable. Follow the tips and instruction here to learn how to draw figures in a range of seated positions.

Start by rendering the head. Once its proportions are set, use it as a standard of measurement so the rest of the body will look natural and proportionate.

Sitting Pose, Cross-Legged

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1/2

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1

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Most guidelines within the head are measured in thirds—from the chin to the nose, the nose to the eyebrow, and the eyebrow to the hairline. The center of the eyes falls about halfway between the top of the head and the bottom of the chin. Note how vertical plumb lines drop from the sides of the head and align with the hands. Use a light horizontal guideline to even the knee heights.

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3

Compare this stage with step one to see just how important the lay-in was. A triangle from the shirt’s base to the pit of the neck is still visible, as is a triangle from the shoulders to the inner wrists.

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Basic Poses When constructing a figure with line, vary the sizes and values of the lines for visual interest.

Differences in Male and Female Hands In this example, the hands of a young married couple clearly show how male and female hands generally differ in size and shape.

Young Female Feet The feet of this young girl are smooth on top because she is sitting with her feet extended in front of her. The strong lighting from above gives the tops of the feet bright highlights and casts dark shadows.

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Pose Variations Using the steps you learned on the previous pages, draw some of these figures in the cross-legged pose, paying attention to each model’s physical differences and variations in position.

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Basic Poses Sitting Pose, Forward-Leaning

1

The top of the head is an oval.

Since our eye level is higher than this sitting model, all construction lines indicate a bird’s-eyeview perspective. Here you can see the top planes of the head, shoulders, arms, and legs.

2

Do not divide large areas of shadow into small, separate areas. The head, front of the torso, and bottom of the legs should all be treated as one mass. After toning with pencil, softly blend with a stump.

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3

Because this foreshortened head is considered an oval, place the features along an imagined oval construction line. The lower lip looks fuller, the nose looks longer, and the forehead appears larger. Also, the ears are higher than the brow line.

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Basic Poses Using Props and Backgrounds Props are an artist’s dream, as they add dimension and create interest in portraits. In addition to physical props, such as a chair or table, consider how entire backgrounds are props. Practice rendering the seated models below; then think about other ways you might pose a figure using a prop or a background.

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Exercise: Just for Practice This pose shows all of the important top, side, and bottom planes of the head and arms that should be taken into consideration before shading. How would you shade these planes and blend them so they look natural?

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Basic Poses Sitting Pose, Cross-Legged on Stool

1 Drop plumb lines to help ensure a proper relationship between the head and feet. Note how the left leg aligns with the right arm and the seat pole lines up with the back of her hair.

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2

Once the proportions are correctly established, begin rendering the values from dark to light. The dark hair is a good place to start. All other tones, except the dress, are lighter in value.

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Basic Poses

3

A full range of values is pleasing to a viewer. Our eyes act much like a playful kitten chasing a moving ball of yarn. The visual movement offered by a well-placed mix of differing values is equally stimulating.

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From his tipped head and crossed arms to his crossed legs and loose pant folds, everything about this young man’s pose looks relaxed.

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Basic Poses Sitting Pose, Child, Leaning

The light source comes from the front, so all the forms are rendered subtly along their sides. To visualize how to render a central-lit figure, pretend you’re wearing a miner’s cap with a headlamp.

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1

It’s important to use simple, straight guidelines to ensure all initial angles are accurate. As an aid, see and draw the negative areas, such as the space between shirt and right arm and the bend behind the knee.

2

Next begin to darken the hair, eyes, lips, bottom of the nose, side of the head, and the neck. Keep the tones flat and two-dimensional, as you are still just trying to create accurate relationships between features.

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Basic Poses

Pose Variations

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All dynamic poses are both active and passive. Here the right side of the torso is actively compressed while the left side is passively stretched.

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Basic Poses Sitting Pose, Young Adult, Leaning

As an aid in constructing this lay-in, I paid special attention to the three important negative shapes between the legs, the arm and leg, and the lower body and rear arm.

1

2

Note how the front fold slightly overlaps the rear folds, helping to clarify the torso’s underlying structure. On the pants, one main stretched fold emphasizes the dynamics of a raised leg.

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3

Fabric folds always radiate from a point of tension. The main tension points for the shirt folds are on both shoulders. In the pants, tension originates where the thigh of the upright leg meets the body.

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Basic Poses

This pose, made with simple line and tone, gains most of its appeal through pleasing shapes and good values—plus the cute face! Adding small details, such as the flower in her hair, on her pants, and on her shoes, makes the composition more visually pleasing, as well.

Rendering Hair Light and Wavy Use graphite powder (created by rubbing a pencil tip over sandpaper) and a stump to create a base of light, subtle tone. Add long, flowing lines, following the soft waves of the hair. Keep the strands in the foreground very light to emphasize the color of the hair.

Dark and Wavy Draw the main, curving hair forms; layer in some graphite powder; and draw wavy lines with the point of a 2B pencil. Use a 4B for the darkest darks and lift out the lighter, highlighted strands with a kneaded eraser.

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Exercise: Just for Practice Below are several sitting pose variations of a single model. Loosely sketch each of these poses, one after another, without spending too much time on each. When you are finished, examine your work. Does the general rendering of the model look the same in each sketch? Why or why not? Continue to practice sketching until you are satisfied with the results.

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Basic Poses Bending and Twisting Figures When people are involved in something active, they bend and twist their bodies. Clothing helps convey the appearance of a twisting body because the folds form into a twisting design. When drawing figures in a twisting motion, use what you’ve already learned about shading folds, but keep in mind that folds on a twisting body will be tighter than folds on a person in a still pose.

B

A

Folds form a twisting pattern.

B

To accurately position the active body, sketch some guidelines to indicate the angles of the shoulders, hips, and knees, as shown in the examples.

A

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Exercise: Just for Practice In the drawings below, one model is standing upright, while the other model is seated on a high stool in a nearly standing position. Other than the obvious difference in the figures’ positions, what do each of their distinctive characteristics—from their clothing and facial expressions to the positions of their hands and feet—help “reveal” about these individuals? What do their respective poses suggest to you? Identifying subtle differences, as well as similarities, go a long way in building an artist’s eye and skill for teasing out unique characteristics and details.

This pose comes only from light, medium, and dark values; extremely varied line-work; and a raised arm.

The position of this model’s hands suggest she might be more reserved and timid than her male counterpart, whose stance suggests he is confident and self-assured.

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Basic Poses

Posing Children Children are often the best drawing subjects for their innocence and range of expression. For the best, most authentic results, children should be posed in a relaxed, natural, and comfortable seated position.

This particular pose, with the head slightly tilted and the arms gently stretching forward to hold the knee, is not only well composed, but demonstrates the use of key shapes, including cylinders and ovals, in blocking in the initial form.

To correctly analyze the foreshortened volumes of arms, fingers, and legs during lay-in, note the importance of the cylinders. It’s easy to draw anatomical contours once these simple forms are established.

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“Painting” with Pencil When you use painterly strokes, your drawing will take on a new dimension. Think of your pencil as a brush and allow yourself to put more of your arm into the stroke. To create this effect, hold your pencil between your thumb and forefinger and use the side of the pencil. If you rotate the pencil in your hand every few strokes, you will not have to sharpen it as frequently. The larger the lead, the wider the stroke will be. The softer the lead, the more painterly an effect you will achieve. The examples below were all made on smooth paper with a 6B pencil, but you can experiment with rough papers for more broken effects.

This simple, casual pose gains interest from design principles of hard vs. soft and straight vs. curved.

Starting Simply First, experiment with vertical, horizontal, and curved strokes. Keep your strokes close together and begin with heavy pressure. Then lighten the pressure with each stroke.

Varying the Pressure Randomly cover the area with tone, varying the pressure at different points. Continue to keep your strokes loose.

Using Smaller Strokes Apply the graphite using small, circular movements (left). Then use short, alternating strokes of heavy and light pressure, similar to a stone or brick pattern (right).

Loosening Up Apply vertical strokes, varying the pressure for each stroke (left). This resembles long grass. Then experiment with spiral movements and wavy strokes, varying the pressure (right).

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Basic Poses

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Weight placed on this young girl’s arm creates an interesting dynamic between her curved body and counter-tipped head.

Contrast between the strokes and the blended areas, as well as the negative shape below the knees, adds interest to this pose. Notice the detail of the hair falling gently behind her leg farthest away from the viewer, suggesting a natural, unrehearsed moment.

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Basic Poses When one is smiling big or laughing, the cheek muscles pull upward and compress the bottoms of the eyes upward, hence the expression “laughing eyes.”

There is a sense of friendly enthusiasm in this pose. Leaning forward with her hand touching the ground... was this girl just interrupted from play?

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Posing Children with Props How many children do you know sit around empty handed? Whether a favorite toy, a book, or even an animal, busy children usually have something in their possession. Props help children look more natural in their poses.

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Basic Poses Exercise: Just for Practice Use the techniques and concepts you’ve been learning to render this three-quarter seated pose. Remember to make use of line and shape to get started with a good foundation.

When depicting a threequarter view, cover the far eye’s inner corner with the nose bridge and construct the lips over a rounded shape.

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Using Hands to Express Mood As an intriguing design element, the additional placement of a hand on the ankle in addition to a hand supporting the face provide a great attentionholding circular movement from arm to arm.

Resting the face on one or both hands has long been a pose used to express a range of emotions, from indifference and sadness to mischief and cheer.

This model’s feet started with block-like forms. It is easier to render the extremities as blocky shapes and then refine them while adding the details.

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Basic Poses

Sometimes a design element such as this circle brings out just the right focus on the face by highlighting its surrounding negative areas.

This pose—and the mischievous smile on this young girl’s face—conveys interest.

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When a mouth is slightly open, indicate its round shape by adding shading around the sides.

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Basic Poses There is something charming and playfully coy about this pose. Perhaps it’s the gesture of her head in hands or the endearing turned-in position of her feet?

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Exercise: Just for Practice Try your hand at rendering these joyous poses. Because the gestures, faces, arms, and hands express so much joy, notice that the rest of each figure is not rendered with as much detail. Both examples use diagonal background lines that echo the arms and give shape to the overall forms.

When drawing a head from such a foreshortened angle as this, notice how the nose becomes so short that its tip actually touches the far eye.

To be successful in drawing from this perspective, begin with the relationship between the far eye and nose. Then, moving outward from there, draw value and shape relationships, rather than features.

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Basic Poses

Exercise: Just for Practice A mannequin is an inexpensive yet invaluable training tool for artists. A mannequin can be used to understand basic body structure and anatomy, as well as help artists visualize movement in a drawing because it can be easily manipulated into different positions, simulating what a lifelike figure looks like in three-dimensional space. Mannequins also help artists determine how best to render light sources and cast shadows on a figure. Study the mannequins on this page and then practice sketching them in the poses shown. For best results, pick up your own mannequin, available at fine art and craft stores.

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Using Charcoal for Figure Drawing The speed at which the artist can attain a full value range makes charcoal a natural medium to use for figure drawing. Charcoal can be used for 1- to 2-minute gesture drawings, as well as intermediate poses of 20 to 40 minutes and, of course, for tonal drawings of longer duration. When used on toned paper, the addition of white charcoal for lights and highlights can be expedient as well as dramatic.

Forms Charcoal is available in three basic forms, which feel and look very different from one another. It’s important to experiment and find the one that suits your personal preferences.

Vine & Willow Charcoal These lightweight, irregularlyshaped rods of charcoal are made of burnt grapevine and willow tree. Vine produces a gray line, whereas willow produces black. Both types can be easily brushed away from paper, making them a common choice for preliminary sketches on a canvas before oil painting.

Compressed Charcoal Sticks Compressed charcoal is mixed with a binder, such as gum, which makes it adhere more readily to paper and produces creamier strokes than vine or willow charcoal. Compressed charcoal sticks come in a range of hardnesses, including soft, medium, and hard—or they are listed by number and letter, similar to pencil hardness. You can use the broad side of the stick for large areas of tone, or you can use the end (which you can sharpen with a knife) to create more detailed strokes.

Charcoal Pencils These compressed charcoal tools in a pencil format offer maximum control, allowing you to create fine, precise strokes. Some are wood-encased, so you can sharpen them as you do graphite pencils. However, some charcoal pencils have tips wrapped in paper. To expose more charcoal, simply pull the string to unwrap the paper. Hone the tips with a sandpaper pad or knife.

White Charcoal Pencils Charcoal pencil sets usually come with a white “charcoal” pencil (which is usually made of chalk and a binder—not charcoal). You can use this pencil with your black charcoal pencils to create dramatic images on toned paper.

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Basic Poses

Reclining Poses

Reclining poses usually invoke foreshortening: a technique for rendering people or objects that aren’t parallel to the picture plane. This involves shortening the lines of the sides of the object closest to the viewer. For example, a standing figure with the arms positioned straight down by the side of the body is perfectly vertical and in proportion. However, once the arm is raised out toward the viewer, it becomes angled and is no longer parallel to the picture plane; the hand looks bigger while the arm looks shorter. Capturing that image in proportion is called “foreshortening.”

Reclining, Foreshortened View

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1

When possible, look for center measurements. For example, the entire height of this reclining figure is only two heads, with the chin being at the center mark. Try to find proportions like this by eyeballing them first; then measure them to double check the accuracy.

Extreme foreshortening is deceptive and often requires comparative measurements between the nearest object and what is farthest away. In this example, the heel to ball of the foot is the same size as a line under the chin to the top of the head.

2

In foreshortened perspective, depiction of depth is not just a function of differences in size but also the use of overlapping forms. The left foot in this drawing is largest, yet there is no question which foot is in front.

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Basic Poses Because the head and hands are a main focal point in this drawing, the distant foreshortened foot is deliberately left vague. This is one benefit of incorporating background details—even loosely rendered— into your artwork, as it allows you to blend the figure into its setting without compromising the integrity of the drawing.

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Pose Variations

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Basic Poses Reclining, Three-Quarter View

1

When blocking in a pose, keep the shapes simple and general. With squinted eyes, assess the entire figure for lines of flow that connect forms that seem far apart. Here, flow lines are shown with directional arrows.

3 Look closely at the cross contours drawn lightly around both arms and legs. These Lines show the volumes of the forms and indicate the correct direction to shade. Direction of shading strokes helps to convey dimensionality of form.

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Once the form is established, focus on the head and front arm to determine the size of the distant foot. As you can see, it fits three times into the hand or four times into the head. Identifying these measurements at the outset can help you render the proportions correctly.

2

Rendering Fabrics

Flannel Apply graphite powder (created by rubbing a pencil tip over sandpaper) with a stump using circular strokes. Then layer in long strokes with a 2B and blend, keeping the highlights soft and subtle.

Satin Draw the main folds; then apply a layer of graphite powder. Define the highlights with your eraser for shine, and lift out tone for the stitches.

Woven These highlights aren’t sharp, but the tone is lighter where the light hits. Use crosshatching to shade, achieving a heavily woven texture.

Lacework This fabric is matte, so the tonal transitions are very soft with no bright highlights. Create the dark holes with a sharp 2B.

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Basic Poses Notice how a flat, low-contrast photo was made more interesting with varying edges: a hard edge against the face and softer edges for the hair and sofa.

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To maintain emphasis on the pose, this drawing uses strong, dark lines on the figure that contrast the light, scribbled lines in the background.

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Basic Poses Reclining, Front View

In addition to finding relative proportions of a foot to the head for perspective, another aid in drawing poses is learning to look for parallel straight lines of flow, such as the angles from sleeve to sleeve and elbow to elbow.

1

Develop the lay-in further by carefully defining flat shapes with outlines. It is important at this stage to not think about round dimensional form yet, as that would distract from accuracy.

2

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3 Through shading, the twodimensional shapes become three-dimensional forms, with foreshortening evident by overlapping the arms, placing the head over the shoulders, and keeping the feet lighter and less fully rendered than the head.

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Basic Poses

Taking Artistic Liberties Although the photograph below shows this figure’s legs in a reclining position (faded into the background), the interest in this pose comes from the man’s relaxed facial expression, which mirrors the relaxed position of his arms and upper torso. Facial lines are best indicated with top lighting using small, semicylindrical shapes and subtle shading.

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Although the face is shaded delicately with a blending stump and pencil strokes, most everything else in this drawing is rendered texturally with a vinyl eraser.

The daydreaming expression of this figure is complemented by the abstract circular shapes in the background, textured with hatching for interest.

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Basic Poses Reclining, Side View

Working with Erasers Stick erasers are pencil-like barrels that hold a long cylinder of soft vinyl eraser. As it wears down, you can click or slide the stick to expose more of the eraser. This shape and format are great for working in small areas. You can even use a craft knife to shape the tip for even more precision.

A good way to approach this semi-reclining male figure is to first look first for common denominator flow-lines and simultaneously the negative spaces that surround him, as indicated here with grid lines. Both are important for accurate draftsmanship and good design.

1

Use a vinyl stick to erase small areas or “draw” within tone.

“Drawing” with an Eraser Use the corner of a block eraser or the end of a stick eraser to “draw” within areas of tone, resulting in light strokes. You can use this technique to recover lights and highlights after blending.

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After establishing a good gestural flow, you can concentrate on rendering the angles. First draw in the longest angles; then look for the smaller changes of directions, which are indicated here with an X.

Much of the rendering here is accomplished by drawing values into shapes with graphite, blending them with a stump and then adding “form-following” direction lines with a sharpened pencil and the tip of an eraser.

2

3

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Basic Poses Exercise: Just for Practice The area around the recognizable shape or form in a drawing is referred to as “negative space.” Study the images below and the negative space surrounding each. How do the negative shapes further enhance and/or correlate to the “mood” of the figure in the drawing?

This figure is bathed in strong sunlight, creating hard edges with strong form shadows and transparent cast shadows on the shirt and tree trunk.

Lovely negative shapes surround this entire figure, and a pleasing diagonal points from the leg to the head. Use textured values to create visual stimulation.

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Pose Variations Using the tips included in this section, practice drawing some of the foreshortened poses shown on this page.

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PART 111:

Dynamic

Poses

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Dynamic Poses

Introduction to Movement & Balance B

Drawings are made more realistic when figures are shown in action. Begin by using simple sketch lines to lay out the dominant action of the figure.

Use an imaginary centerline that seems to hold or balance the figure in its position. Otherwise, the figure may look as though it’s going to fall over. The best way to achieve balance is to place approximately the same amount of weight on either side of this centerline.

A

Line of Action

Another tip is to draw a line that represents the spine of the figure in its action pose; then develop the pose from this line of action (a line that indicates the curve and movement of the body). Using both the centerline of balance and the line of action will help you establish convincing movement in your figure drawings.

No matter what position a figure takes, you always can find a center of balance, illustrated by the dotted lines on these examples.

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All the parts of the body combine to show movement of the figure. Our jointed skeleton and muscles allow us to bend and stretch into many different positions. To create drawings with realistic poses, it helps to study how a body looks and changes when stretched or flexed, as well as when sitting or standing. Begin by drawing the line of action or “gesture” first; then build the forms of the figure around it.

Extending and Contracting

The spine is flexible and allows us to bend many ways while stretching and contracting our limbs. These three poses show how the shape of the body can change drastically while the proportions stay the same.

Stretching and Bending

You almost can feel the muscles stretching on this cheerleader’s body as she pulls up her right leg behind her head. Notice how the bending figure creates wrinkles and tightly stretched areas in the clothing. Be sure to draw these creases and smooth areas to make your drawing believable.

Everyday Action

This woman kneeling in her garden is bending into an S shape. All wrinkles or folds in the fabric are on the inward side of the body’s bend; the back side is fairly smooth. The curve of her turned head has only a slight influence on the line of action.

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Dynamic Poses

Bodies in Motion

Ballerina, Expressive Pose

As indicated by the directional arrows, graceful flow lines help establish this elegant gesture. Note how the center of balance falls directly from the pit of the neck between the ballerina’s feet, anchoring her to the floor.

1

This step demonstrates the simple patterns of light and shadow.

2

Define the edges around the light sources, which are most important in further rendering this figure’s mass.

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The darkest area between light and shadow is called the shadow core, which is caused by reflected light “bouncing” up from the floor into the shadow. Reflected light in the shadow should always be darker than the direct light.

3

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Dynamic Poses Ballerina, Mid-Air

1

Start by using long, sweeping lines to record the gesture of this pose.

2

When you are satisfied with the gesture, begin to visualize and transform shapes into three-dimensional forms using simple cylinders before further rendering the figure.

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Using a Kneaded Eraser

3 This completed drawing was first toned with a pencil and then blended with a stump. Use a kneaded eraser to lift out the lights; then add dark definition lines with a soft pencil.

The kneaded eraser (usually gray) is a favorite for graphite artists. It is pliable like clay, allowing you to form it into any shape. Knead and work the eraser until it softens; then dab or roll it over areas to slowly and deliberately lighten the tone. This eraser does not leave behind crumbs. To “clean” it, simply knead it. The eraser will eventually take in too much graphite to cleanly lift tone off the paper; at this point, you will need to replace it.

Use a kneaded eraser to dab or roll for soft, subtle lightening.

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Dynamic Poses Exercise: Just for Practice Celebrated master artist Edgar Degas is probably best known for his paintings of dancers. He was once quoted as saying, “People call me the painter of dancing girls…it has never occurred to them that my chief interest in dancers lies in rendering movement….” The graceful way in which a dancer moves is mesmerizing, and no subject is better at demonstrating the body’s ability to twist and bend. Study these images; then try rendering each of these poses following the steps on the previous pages. When gesture drawing from a photo, begin by squinting your eyes to get a sense first of the figure in motion. Use long, sweeping lines to block in each figure’s movement.

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Dynamic Poses

Sports Figures Sprinter

1

Using mannequins for reference can be helpful when first learning how to draw bodies in motion. (See page 144.) Use cylindrical shapes to build out the shape of the body.

2

Studying the body’s anatomy and form is also helpful in rendering realistic figures in motion and helping refine flat shapes into more accurate anatomical forms; however, the best tools for rendering an accurate drawing are patience and care.

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3

Using a soft 4B pencil and a blending stump, anatomy is delineated through careful use of dark, medium, and light values, but it is not necessary to render every muscle. In fact, movement and expression can often be lost in a drawing through excessive detail and delineation.

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Dynamic Poses Sports Figures Drawing figures playing sports is a great way to practice all the techniques you’ve learned. It’s especially important to sketch the line of action in such dramatic poses because the body often stretches, bends, and twists in all sorts of contortions during these kinds of activities.

A

A

C B

B

Angles will play a fundamental role in effectively rendering these figures. Use your knowledge of proportions extensively to capture the body movements.

A

B C

C

People playing sports often display expressions that contort their facial features, such as looks of grimace, shock, joy, or pain.

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Exercise: Just for Practice Review the figures below to determine the main thrust of movement, from the head, down the spine, and through the legs; this is called the “line of action” or “action line.” Then briefly sketch the general shapes of each figure around this line. These quick sketches are great for practicing drawing figures in action and sharpening your powers of observation.

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Dynamic Poses Jogger

Using cylindrical shapes once again helps capture the anatomy, mass, and volume of this figure in motion. Notice how clearly the front and side planes of the torso are differentiated from one another.

1

Lay in the value differences between the fronts and sides of the torso, legs, arms, neck, and face using loose strokes. After identifying the light source, block in areas of shadows using light, quick hatchmarks.

2

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3

To finish the drawing, blend the pencil strokes and finish working out the anatomy of the body in motion. Work to convey the volume of the body by further indicating the primary light source, shadow core, and reflected light on the front leg, as well as a cast shadow.

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Dynamic Poses Boxer

3

This final stage shows as much dimensionality as the prior drawing, but the pencil strokes have been refined. Notice how much volume is conveyed by the main light, core shadow, and reflected light on the boxer’s right arm.

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1 As with the previous figures, identify the angles of this pose and block in the shapes; then begin building volume and mass using cylindrical forms.

2

A drawing-in-process benefits from cross-contours to show how form-following pencil strokes create added volume.

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Dynamic Poses Exercise: Just for Practice Using cylindrical forms and cross-contour strokes, practice rendering the three poses below paying attention to light sources, shadows, and reflected light.

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Exercise: Just for Practice This exercise will help you understand the planes of the human form. Starting with a light construction drawing, map out the figure and its placement. Focus first on the major planes, using straight lines to help you chisel out and develop the structure of the form. Then move on to the smaller planes. Imagine that you’re working with a stone, removing material with a chisel in chunks. Don’t worry about “sanding down” the transitions to make them smooth. Having a light source on your model with plenty of reflected light in your shadow shapes will help reveal the planes. In the end, your planar analysis should resemble a facetted diamond.

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Dynamic Poses Basketball Player

In addition to the dynamism maintained from the initial gesture of this pose, the motion lines surrounding the basketball and the extreme contrast between the light shorts and dark jersey also add visual excitement and finish.

3

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An action pose should first and foremost be about gesture. In this case, the entire weight of this player’s gesture is directly over his right leg, while his left leg is gravity-free and ready to move in any direction.

1

2

Without losing the dynamics of initial gesture, begin drawing all anatomical contours with straight lines. At the same time, locate and surround each area that will have light and shadow with boundary lines.

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Dynamic Poses Soccer Player

To maintain the rhythm of the pose, simply distinguish the front and back planes in preparation for adding the final details.

1

2

The stark divisions between light and dark are now lessened by toning with a 2B pencil, blending with a stump, and then gently lifting out lights out with a kneaded eraser. Finish the pose by adding dark final lines with a 4B pencil.

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33

Similar to the basketball player in the previous example, the gestural movements of a soccer player, or footballer, are dynamic. What matters most is maintaining the relationship between the upward-moving leg and the moving ball. Keep the lines simple so that the minor details won’t hinder the overall rhythm.

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Dynamic Poses Swimmer

1 To find symmetry in this pose, establish the center of the figure; then use a light guideline to ensure the arms are drawn level.

2 Even though this pose looks simple, the subtleties of its anatomy are not. As usual, the best approach to any complex anatomical puzzle is to begin simply by defining tops, sides, and bottoms of all muscle forms.

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3

With the addition of the water, this pose now has the necessary context to show us just what this swimmer is doing. The dark torso and foreground reflection have become useful tools in defining the frontal splash area.

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Dynamic Poses Athletic Poses There are a number of factors to consider when selecting athletic poses for a drawing. From creating the illusion of “hang time” and working with equipment to suggesting physical prowess, the artist is responsible for capturing a complex, dynamic composition with both energy and balance. Always take plenty of reference photographs, snapping many in a row so you can choose the most effective moment to re-create. Read the tips for each set of poses, and practice blocking in the figures of your choice.

When photographing a skateboarder for reference, it’s a good idea to feature the board clearly, choosing a position and angle that makes it easy for a viewer to “read” the equipment and action of the scene.

Soccer is all about contacting the ball. However, the most effective poses occur just before or after contact has been made, which gives the scene more movement as the ball appears to be moving toward or away from the subject.

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Racquet sports involve three main elements at work: the athlete, the racquet, and the ball. An effective pose will show all three elements clearly and how they are working together in that moment.

Unlike traditional figure poses that a model can hold for a period of time, sports poses can change in a moment and are likely to suggest a shifting center of balance. It’s important to note that although this tennis player is leaning and in motion, her bent legs and planted feet suggest control over her movement.

If your desired scene involves an athlete’s airborne pose, be sure to select a frame at or near the apex of the jump. This will both make the pose more impressive and help you avoid awkward in-between positions.

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Dynamic Poses Meditative Poses Meditative Poses, such as those used in yoga and Tai Chi practices, can make for unique and interesting works of art. The challenge is being able to capture the essence of these graceful, rhythmic movements through deft pencil work. Often it helps to draw the figure in a specific context to help emphasize the mood of the drawing.

Long, sweeping pencil lines lifted out with an eraser create background curves for a soft, wispy effect that suggests this figure is holding a pose between movements.

The peace and stillness in this composition is emphasized by the repetition of circular shapes in the sun, head, circular finger mudras, and overall rounded vignette.

In this pose, the right leg leans slightly to the right while the upper torso tilts left. This allows the neck to stay aligned over the ankle for dynamic balance. The background hill and field suggests the figure is alone in a quiet location.

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Exercise: Just for Practice This kneeling profile position shows the figure’s face tilted slightly upward to the left. With the arms resting comfortably on the lap and the eyes closed, this figure seems to be deep in meditative thought. What other details might you add to this drawing to further emphasize the stillness of the pose?

When drawing a near-side, lowperspective profile, it’s important for the chin, lips, and nose to stay in proportion to one another. Notice how the far eye is merely suggested by a few soft strokes.

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Dynamic Poses

Children in Action

If you ever spend time watching children at play, you’ll notice that they are constantly interacting with their environment. From splashing in water, kicking, and throwing to picking flowers, these busy little humans are lively and somewhat unpredictable. Aim to capture this “in the moment” appeal in your drawings. In this step-by-step exercise, you can see that a child’s movements need not always be of rough and tumble variety. This pose shows the gentle motion of a young girl blowing a dandelion.

1

Full profiles are much easier to draw than “almost” profiles. To correctly capture eye and nose proportions, begin with the far eye first and carefully and proportionally work your way outward, blocking in the basic shapes to start.

2

Lightly draw in the details, keeping outlines soft and simple.

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3

Begin refining the details, including the face, hair, and hands. Notice how the dark hair and sweater have soft edges, while the face and hands have more defined edges.

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Dynamic Poses

1

Block in the ribcage for proper shoulder placement. The base of the shirt should align with the hips. Use cylinders to draw in the arms and legs.

2

Draw in the clothing folds and shoe, as well as the facial features and hair.

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This figure is lit from behind. (For more on backlighting, see page 225.) To achieve this look, darken around the entire figure, blending graphite strokes with a stump and erasing at the edge of the figure. Then blend the interior values similarly.

3

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Dynamic Poses

The blurred legs and penciled-in “motion-strokes” behind this running boy give the viewer a sensation of quick-paced forward momentum.

Another way to communicate movement is by showing a figure in contact with its surroundings. In this example, several squiggles demonstrate splashing water from this girl’s kicking motions. The arm shows how reflected light, “bouncing” up from the side of the deck beneath her form, fills the shadow with a lesser secondary light creating a dark shadow core.

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Exercise: Just for Practice The energy of a young child should spill into your drawing. In addition to animated eyes and joyous smiles, study a child’s limbs during play. Arms are often outstretched or in motion, and hands and fingers are rarely relaxed. Sketch the examples below as you learn how to capture the spirit of each pose.

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Dynamic Poses Kids at Play The same principles of drawing adults in action can be applied to drawing children. But remember, children’s arms and legs usually are pudgier than those of an adult, and the proportions of children’s bodies are different.

a

a

a B

B

B

a

C

B

C

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Assessing Movement in Children To capture a child’s actions, train your eye to assess the essential elements of the movement, and then quickly draw what you see. You can rapidly record details through a gesture drawing. As you can see here, a quick sketch is all you need to capture the main gesture—you can always add details later.

a

a

B B

Record this action as you would any other: Draw the line of action down the spine, sharply curving through the left thigh. Then add the arms and the right leg for balance. Keep the head in line with the spine.

Minimal shading and detail are the best ways to keep the movement from looking stiff.

a

This ballet pose has two lines of action: a main line that curves with the torso and runs down the left leg, and a secondary line that starts at the left hand and flows across the chest through the right arm. Most of her weight is on the left leg, with the right extended for balance.

B

For the boy on the left, the line of action moves down his spine and through his left leg, where his weight is balanced. The boy on the right is kicking with his right leg—note the way the kick causes his body to bend forward in order to balance, curving the line of action at the base of his spine.

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Dynamic Poses Exercise: Just for Practice Martial arts promote calm, balance, control, and physical agility—all of which contribute to dynamic, confidant poses. Practice sketching the range of positions below as you focus on capturing the solid, steady, and disciplined nature of this sport.

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Exercise: Just for Practice Babies are busy little people; unless they are sleeping, they are in constant motion. They are exploring everything around them with wonder and curiosity. Props are a great way to keep them entertained as you try to capture their expressions and personalities. You might even choose a toy with familial significance, such as an heirloom teddy bear. Practice sketching the babies below, focusing on their expressive bodies and distinct proportions.

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PART 1V:

Expressive

Poses

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Expressive Poses

Capturing the Details

As you have learned so far, drawing a figure in any pose—whether it is static or in motion—is just a small part of mastering the complexities of figure drawing. There are many other considerations that go into rendering realistic poses, including facial features, body types, age, personal details, composition, and background, among others. This section will introduce you to some of these various other elements that can further enhance your figure drawing and portraits.

This highly rendered head comes forward as a focal point because of its contrast against the textured dress and vignette-shaped background.

Working in Conté Crayon Also called sketching crayons, sketching sticks, or Conté sticks, Conté crayon is a simple and expressive medium composed of pigment, graphite, and fine clay. The thin, rectangular sticks (with a square cross-section) resemble pastel.

Shown above are Conté sticks on medium drawing paper. You can use them to produce tight lines, broad strokes, and lightly blended areas of tone. If desired, sharpen the sticks using a sandpaper pad. Conté is also available in pencil form for finer strokes.

A soft pencil, blending stump, and eraser are useful tools for rendering anatomy accurately. Sharp eraser strokes follow muscle forms, softening the edges so they blend naturally.

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Infants, Toddlers, and Children

Accented dark lines contrasted with soft, light values bring an interesting element to the rendering of this baby.

After six months or so, babies have the neck, upper body, and back muscle strength to sit upright like this. Soft contours and rounded shapes accentuate this infant’s chubby arms and legs, as well as his soft skin.

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Expressive Poses Developmental milestones for a seven- to nine-month-old infant include sitting, standing, and laughing. Although still chubby, a little more definition is evident in the body structure.

Babies generally begin crawling between seven and ten months, thinning out slightly as they burn more energy throughout their days. In these few months before learning how to walk, these almosttoddlers are constantly on-the-move, exploring their environment with newfound freedom.

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The smooth, exposed face of this heavily bundled tot is foreshortened from the top. The placement of the eyes on an arc shows the roundness of his head beneath the knit cap.

Sometimes the shape of a pose is more important to a viewer’s appreciation than the details of the pose itself. This is especially true when the overall silhouette creates interesting negative shapes.

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Expressive Poses

This pose clearly shows how birdseye-view features are placed along oval construction guidelines. Also note how the chin appears smaller, while the nose and forehead appear larger.

This girl’s facial expression and hand gestures are unique and captivating. To emphasize this, her head and hands remain sharp, while the rest of the figure is drawn softly. Strong outlines help ground the figure in the scene.

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Fabric folds always drop from a tension point. Because this boy’s left arm is raised, all folds drop from his raised shoulder, including those reflected in his backpack. What does this figure’s expression, when combined with his stance, suggest about the mood he might be in? Is it contemplative or uncertain—content or melancholy? Introducing a bit of ambiguity into your work can make for an interesting piece.

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Expressive Poses Teens and Young Adults Although they have grown into adult features and proportions, teens and young adults still radiate a youthful essence that should show through in a drawing. Consider body language, playful expressions, clothing, and environment as you plan your drawing.

What makes this figure so interesting? Details such as a striped sweater, fingerless gloves, and knit cap with tassels indicate her age, while her hand gestures suggest she is feeling carefree. The strong triangular composition and the mischievous upward glance add to this drawing’s interest.

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This pensive pose shows a quiet moment in a school stairwell, away from the chaos of fellow students. Her body is turned away from the viewer as she focuses all of her attention on the book. The bow in her hair, youthful shoes, and apparent unawareness of the viewer hint at the model’s innocence.

Jewelry is a common accessory for women and reflects the individual’s personal style and taste.

Accessories Clothing and accessories speak volumes about an individual’s personality. An artistic person may have a huge jewelry collection, whereas an extremely formal person may always wear a jacket and tie. When creating expressive drawings, don’t disregard this important tool. The right accessories can be crucial to conveying your message.

Hats say so much about the wearer’s personality. Think of your reaction to someone wearing a cowboy hat.

A scarf adds flair to a person’s appearance, especially if it’s tied or worn around the neck in an inventive way. The material or pattern also adds personality to a drawing.

Some ties are quite formal; some are more casual. A man wearing a bow tie stands out in a crowd. Don’t forget that some women also like to wear ties, which creates a strong, unique look.

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Expressive Poses To achieve this casual, comfortable, mid-laugh pose, the subject leans against a wall and loosely rests his arm on a leg.

Viewed straight on at eye level, the ears normally would align with the brows and the base of the nose; however, this head, tossed back, puts the ears below the nose. A clearly defined profile and distinct facial features help communicate that this woman’s mood is one of serenity.

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Exercise: Just for Practice Examine the two drawings on this page. Compare how the details in each contribute to the differences in mood communicated by each. Both men are facing the same direction, and both are wearing ear buds and casual attire; however, one is sitting in a relaxed state while the other grips a rail with an intense look on his face. Perhaps one has just completed a workout or a run, while the other is mentally preparing for the same. Re-create each scene and attempt to capture the difference in expression.

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Expressive Poses

Pose Variations Whether drawing from life or taking photographs for reference, you are in charge of choosing and refining your subject’s pose. It is a task that calls for understanding the personality of your model and the message or tone you want to convey. Something as simple as placing a hand in a pocket can shift a pose from formal to casual. As you study the pairs of poses on the following two pages, note the differences in tone between each. Practice drawing the poses of your preference with loose, gestural strokes.

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Expressive Poses Mature Adults Mature subjects often carry themselves with an ease and confidence that you’ll want to convey in their poses. They can also be quite fun to draw, as wrinkles, glasses, and hats add interest and character.

Look for the basic shapes in this seated pose—a rectangle for the torso, a diamond for the legs, and an oval for the face. By looking for these simple shapes, you can draw just about any pose, body type, and age group. A mid-toned background with dark, diagonal strokes to contrast with the light, horizontally striped shirt adds a bit of visual interest.

This is another variation of a relaxed pose, which has been balanced out with a strong vertical background and a subtly triangular composition. A few light hatch marks on this figure’s face are enough to suggest his advanced age.

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Bright light passing through a translucent curtain provides an opportunity to depict the effect of hands behind a semi-transparent curtain fold.

In this pose, the interest comes primarily from one leg edged slightly forward, as well as contrast between the light shirt and dark pants. Use a kneaded eraser to lift out highlights from the hair to suggest salt-and-pepper coloring.

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Expressive Poses Adding slightly graduated diagonal strokes to the background adds interest behind these two vertical figures.

The light source in this drawing is coming from the left side of the frame and slightly behind the couple.

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In this scene, a dark background provides effective contrast as it brings out the lighter shapes of this sitting couple. Dark tones applied in the background can often work to brighten up a subject made of primarily light to middle values.

Many of these textures, including the shawl, grass, flowers, and background were created by alternating between a pencil, blending stump, kneaded eraser, and vinyl eraser.

A

Effects Of Aging It is the large forms—not the details—of an elderly person’s face that are most important. Find an old photograph of someone in his or her twilight years. Today’s cameras are so sharply focused that it’s easy to get caught up in the details. I found a 35-year-old photo of an elderly woman laughing. In this sketch, you can see the major effects of aging on her face. If you focus on drawing these effects, it isn’t necessary to draw many wrinkles.

A. Hair thins and recedes. B. The underlying skull becomes more evident, particularly around the temples.

B

C. Lips become thinner, and the outline of the lips is less defined. D. Major creases deepen.

D

E. Earlobes are often elongated. F.

E

Skin sags around the jawline.

G. Neck loses its youthful form.

C F G

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Expressive Poses Exercise: Just for Practice Never overlook or underestimate the natural beauty of an elderly individual. The trick to capturing beauty that deepens with age is to focus on the large forms of the face, rather than the details of the wrinkles. Using soft, indirect lighting instead of a strong direct light source is a great help. Try your hand at re-creating this mature woman’s beauty through this step-by-step exercise.

1

Start with basic shapes and lines to indicate placement and angles.

2

Tape a piece of heavy tracing paper over the sketch and outline the face and hair. Refine the ears and facial features, using broken lines to shape the eyebrows, the folds under the eyes, and the deep creases around the face. As you draw the neck, pay attention to the shadows created by aging. Then outline the shirt.

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3

4

Transfer the drawing to a clean sheet of drawing paper (see page 21), and use an HB pencil to add long, light strokes in the hair. Lightly shade the side planes of the face and nose. Add shading to the facial features, using short strokes for the lips and eyebrows. Then shade the neck and shirt.

Add subtle shadows in the light hair. Then darken the eyebrows, irises and pupils, and lips. Build up another layer of shading on the forms of the face, ears, and neck. Then delicately shade around the eyes, add more tone to the side planes of the nose, and deepen the shadow below it.

5 Continue to build up tone in the face and neck and very lightly model the light areas of the face, such as the cheeks and forehead. Use the side of a 2B pencil to deepen the value of the shirt.

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Expressive Poses

Pose Variations Always consider your subject’s personality when choosing a pose—even for the most mature individuals. Do you want to capture spunk and spontaneity, or is cool and composed a more fitting approach? Perhaps the most expressive features of a full-body pose are the arms and hands. Arms can be lifted in a celebratory fashion and fingers can be outstretched or pressed into a fist; hands can be folded and resting or tucked casually into a pocket. Study the poses on this page and sketch the ones that speak to you.

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Pose Variations When drawing mature couples, focus on the chemistry of their time-tested relationships. Strolling in tandem, standing mid-embrace, dancing, or simply sharing a park bench can bring a palpable intimacy to a scene. Remember to consider accessories, such as canes or hats, as well as culturally significant attire.

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Expressive Poses

Rendering Mood & Emotion

One of the most rewarding aspects of figure drawing is the ability to move beyond shapes and outlines to evoke human emotion. As you explore this section, focus on how each element of the scene—from line quality and range of value to expressions and body language—work together to establish a cohesive mood and atmosphere.

The graceful diagonal formed by the pregnant belly is echoed by the position of the right leg. This drawing captures a look of peaceful anticipation on the face of this mother-to-be.

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Cross-contour lines on the arms and foot demonstrate how strokes are used to create volume. They should follow the direction of the volumes for which they are used.

In this melancholy drawing, the girl’s hair obscures her face from the viewer. Her body’s position, combined with her head in her hands, suggests a discouraged or downcast mood. Use egg and cylinder shapes when blocking in the head at a downward-tilted angle.

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Expressive Poses A more intense version of the previous pose, the hands completely shield the face and suggest a desire to be left alone. A feeling of despair is further communicated by the toes pointed inward, along with monotone values and jagged lines.

This woman’s detailed eyes show great surprise that borders on shock and are the clear focus of this drawing. The loosely rendered remaining features, including the hands, body, and hair, help keep the focus where it belongs.

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Exercise: Just for Practice Expressive poses often come down to the eyes. This lesson will help you master drawing them.

Step One Begin by lightly laying in the basic shapes and outlines with an HB pencil, checking the proportions for accuracy.

Step Two Stroke in a layer of tone, building the shadowed areas to suggest form. Use softer pencils for the darker areas.

Step Three Blend the tone to create a smooth base that hints at the value pattern you see in your model or reference. Blend the skin surrounding the eye and use stumps for the darker, linear areas, including the eyebrow, crease, iris, and pupil.

Step Four Because blending the tone lightens the overall values, reapply tone, blend, and repeat where needed.

Step Five Add fine lines and create highlights. Fill in the eyebrow with short strokes in the direction of hair growth. Use an 8B for the darkest accents, such as the pupil and eyelashes, blending subtly with a stump. Use a kneaded eraser to gently dab away tone to model the forms and soften any harsh edges. Then use a stick eraser to pull out the highlights in the iris.

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Expressive Poses

In this pose, there is interplay between light and dark with accents of line. Defining form through extreme value contrast is called “chiaroscuro.” With the light source focused on the figure’s face, the viewer is able to take in the look of intensity, while the rest of the body is enveloped in shadow.

Creating Drama A darker background can add intensity or drama to your portrait. Here the subject is in profile, so the lightest values of her face stand out against the dark values of the background. To ensure that her dark hair does not become “lost,” I create a gradation from dark to light, leaving the lightest areas of the background at the top and along the edge of the hair for separation.

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Varied line work adds to an interesting design while this woman’s hair, drawn with expressive strokes, adds excitement and energy to this happy expression.

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Expressive Poses

In this pose, dark and middle tones are placed against a white background. The woman’s turn of the head creates an elegant silhouette. Within the figure, the delineation between shapes of light and shadow suggests a clear light source from the left and effectively defines the features and folds of fabric.

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This pose becomes a stronger image by unifying the arms and head into one pattern, which contrasts with the darker patterns of the shirt, pants, and shoes.

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Expressive Poses The pensive expression on this young boy’s face is further accentuated by his contracted posture and empty stare.

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The values in this drawing are built up entirely through crosshatching over blended and unblended areas. Final hatch marks follow the established forms.

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Expressive Poses Exercise: Just for Practice Probably one of the most difficult challenges in art is to capture a person’s likeness in a portrait. The slightest inaccuracy in the drawn lines of a lip or an eye can make the drawing seem “not quite right.” One of the best shortcuts for helping the artist draw more accurate lines is to use a grid. By focusing on each small box of the grid, and forgetting that you are drawing a person, you will find how quickly and easily you can create a likeness.

1 An easy way to create an accurate sketch is to use a grid to transfer the basic outlines. Simply use a pencil to draw a grid of squares over a photocopy of your reference photo; then draw another grid of squares over drawing or tracing paper. Then draw what you see in each square of the line drawing in each square of the drawing or tracing paper. This method makes it easy to transfer sketches from small reference photographs onto larger canvases.

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2 Next, transfer the sketch to a clean sheet of drawing paper.

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Expressive Poses

3

Study the shadow patterns on the face and hair. Use a 2B pencil on the hair, drawing long strokes with the side of the pencil while following the direction of hair growth. Then apply a dark tone to her eyes and eyebrows and to the deep shadow of the sari, using long strokes along the folds. Add shading to the face using light pressure and the side of a 2B, following the contours of her face.

4 Use the side of a 4B to darken the shadows of the hair, and then switch to the point of the 4B to draw long, curved lines that follow the direction of the strands. Use heavy pressure to deepen the dark tone of the sari behind her neck, and then use a 2B to deepen the shading of her eyes, using both circular and radial strokes but leaving the highlights white.

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5

Begin adding deeper tones of shading with heavier pressure. Then use an HB to begin adding subtle shading to the light sides of the forms. Use the HB to refine the shading in the eyes, being mindful of the spherical shape of the eyeball as you develop the “whites.” Use the point of a kneaded eraser to clean up the highlights of the eyes.

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Expressive Poses

6

Return to the 4B pencil to build up the texture of the hair. Use both the side and point of the pencil as you stroke, always following the direction of the hair. Also, develop the dark shadows of the sari with the 4B, using the point of an HB to refine the edges of these shadows. Continuing to work with the HB, build up tone on the light side of the face, always following the contours of the features. Then work in the shadow side, building up with the HB to refine the shading. Use the pencil’s point to carefully refine the shapes of the features. Add some detail to the earrings with the HB and draw individual strands of hair around the forehead.

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7

In this “polishing” stage, carefully rework the shading of the face. Lightly use the point of the HB to fill in uneven areas, and use the kneaded eraser to lightly lift out tone that is too dark. Finish the portrait by adding more shading to the sari with light crosshatching. When finished, clean up any remaining smudges with a kneaded eraser.

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PART V:

Compositions

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Compositions

Composing with Purpose Composition refers to the arrangement of elements within a drawing and lays the groundwork for a visually pleasing work of art. A good composition creates a sense of balance and movement; it draws in the viewer’s eye and points it to the most important aspects of the drawing. In this chapter, explore composition as it relates to figure drawing and consider its effects on the mood and message of each piece.

When drawing figures in graphite pencil in front of a landscape, keep the background light and simple so as not to detract from the subjects in the scene.

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This mood of tender serenity is further enhanced by the use of light, horizontal background strokes in contrast to the vertical, more active foreground strokes.

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Compositions This dynamic composition shows a form half enveloped in dark shadow with the light source coming from slightly above. The mood is serious and contemplative, making for a dramatic visual piece.

Forms are most recognizable where hard edges meet. In portraiture, this is called a focal point. All other less important areas have soft or lost edges.

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A low viewpoint with extreme forshortening, as in this man’s hands, adds interest and drama to a composition. In this example, the man’s prayer beads dominate the overall design and suggest the significance of faith in his life.

The focal point of this drawing—a mature hand holding beads—is rendered with great detail while all other areas are deliberately left vague.

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Compositions To highlight the closeness of this mother and child, the figures are massed together. Notice how the diagonal line of the baby’s body mirrors the line of the mother’s arm, giving the composition flow.

Simple line work and a limited range of values give this scene the clarity and contrast needed to visually distinguish the two subjects.

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“Backlighting,” also called “rim lighting,” occurs when the light source is positioned behind the subject. You can use this to create a silhouette-driven composition with soft shapes and an intimate, atmospheric quality.

When figures are lit from behind, all details are subordinated to a range of middle values. Leave the background bright and simple to keep the focus on your subjects in the foreground.

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Compositions

Consider unconventional viewpoints for your portraits, which can capture a model’s sense of style or body language without even featuring the face.

Sketching cylinders gives a starting point to further developing the curls of hair. Use arrows to represent the light source so you know where to add shading.

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This rice field worker is rendered with expressive lines that vary in thickness. The broken or “lost” lines that define the edge of the right arm indicate bright light coming from the upper left, inviting the sun—although not actually drawn—into the composition.

Soften the wrinkles on this mature face using a blending stump. Lighten areas subtly by lifting tone with a kneaded eraser.

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Compositions Two side-by-side figures centered on a bench makes for a balanced composition with a sense of symmetry. In this drawing, overlapping the figures slightly creates a more unified mass, preventing any awkward negative space between the figures. Keep this in mind as you position your models.

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When incorporating patterned fabrics into a portrait, it’s best to avoid designs with high contrast and excessive detail. Keep the darkest tones and most intricate work on the heads, which serve as the clear focal points of the piece.

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Compositions The weight and focal point lie near the bottom of this drawing, creating a stable, centered composition echoing the meditative seriousness of the figure. The wrist watch at right brings a bit of variation to the symmetrical scene.

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In addition to using 2B and 4B pencils for this rendering, a kneaded eraser and a blending stump help lift out highlights. The figure’s face is secondary to the focus—the folded hands.

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Compositions

This portrait of boys uses a traditional triangular (or pyramidal) composition, which creates stability while incorporating diagonal lines for interest. This compact arrangement also exudes a sense of emotional closeness between the boys.

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Odd-numbered groups generally create a more interesting composition than even-numbered groups.

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Compositions The light and middle tones used to create this woman’s headscarf draw the viewer’s eye to areas of greater contrast, particularly the eyes. Her gesturing hand also brings interest to the composition.

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This friendly man sits on the ground with his knees up, wrapping his arms so that his hands rest on his feet. This closed pose and simple composition is both reserved and intimate.

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Compositions Composing a Dancer A simple, sleek, and airy composition perfectly suites this ballerina. The overall shape of her pose, which you can see easily while squinting, is an elongated triangle, which creates a sense of stability and balance. The long lines of her dress folds lengthen the appearance of her body to add flow and elegance.

1

2

Sketch the outlines of the figure.

Start establishing a base tone for the shadows and dark values by using the side of a 2B pencil to lay down a layer of tone in the hair. Then add dark tone to the eyebrows, lips, and nostrils. Using lighter pressure, add shading to the delicate shadow areas of the face, neck, and body. As always, use strokes that follow the form. Add some light tone to indicate the form of her legs, which can be partially seen through the transparent material. Then add some light tone to the dress using long, vertical strokes.

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3

Return to the hair, stroking with the dull point of a 4B pencil in the direction of hair growth. Add more tone to the shadow side of the face using a 2B, noting that the light falls most directly on the side. Work around the body, adding more tone to areas where the forms turn away from the main light source. Add more shading to the upper part of the dress, again using strokes that follow the form of the body. Loosely add more long lines to indicate the folds of the dress.

4

Carefully shade her facial features with curved strokes that follow her form. Do the same around the neck area, shading the forms that indicate the underlying muscles of the neck. Continue to work around her arms and chest, and begin to shade her hands. As you work on her hands, remain aware of the small forms and shade delicately.

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Compositions

5

Return to working on her hair using the side of a 4B to achieve deeper tones, working softly around the hairline. Then use a sharp 2B to add a few lines for additional texture. Use the HB to delicately shade the flowers in her hair.

6

Focus on the folds of the dress and deepen the shading with long, vertical strokes. You don’t have to draw each fold exactly; instead, work loosely and quickly to suggest texture.

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Secrets to Creativity The fastest way to improve your drawing skills and stretch your “creativity muscles” is to develop two essential habits:

1

Speed Sketching

Sketch Every Day Sketching not only develops your handeye coordination, but it’s also a wonderful way to connect with the visual world around you. Carry your sketchbook around with you everywhere, and draw as many different types of subjects in as many different poses as possible. You will soon find yourself getting inspired and will have many ideas for drawings from your sketchbooks.

2

So often, we feel that we don’t have the time to take out our sketchbooks to draw. But even if you only have five minutes, you can benefit from “speed sketching.” The idea is to quickly put down the big shapes, lines, and angles of your subject, which are the armature of any drawing. By frequently practicing speed sketching, you will find yourself learning to ignore detail (because there is no time for detail in five minutes!) and to look at the main large shapes and angles.

Sketch from Old Masters’ Work The Old Masters were thoroughly trained in their craft, and their drawings contain knowledge that can be absorbed when you copy them. It is great to do quick sketches of their work to get a sense of their compositions. And don’t be afraid to use one of their compositional ideas—great artists have copied compositions from other great artists for centuries!

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About the Artists Ken Goldman is an internationally known artist, author, teacher, and art juror. A recipient of numerous awards, Goldman has exhibited widely in various group shows and solo exhibitions in the Netherlands, France, Mexico, China, Italy, Greece, New York, Boston, and Washington, D.C. Goldman’s work is included in the permanent collections of the San Diego Museum of Art, North Carolina’s Hickory Museum of Art, the San Diego Natural History Museum, the San Diego Watercolor Society, and the Zuo Wen Museum in Qingdao, China. Ken is the author of seven Walter Foster books on pastels, acrylics, charcoal, and artistic anatomy and has been featured in many magazines, including The Art of Watercolour, Southwest Art, International Artist, Watercolor Magic, Splash 12, Splash 13, and The Artist’s Magazine. Ken teaches figure painting, artistic anatomy, and plein air landscape at the Athenaeum School of the Arts in La Jolla and in workshops across the country and is currently serving as president of the National Watercolor Society. Ken’s education includes the National Academy of Design, Art Students League and the New York Studio School. For more information, visit www.goldmanfineart.com, CaliforniaWatercolor.com, or Facebook1kengoldman. Stephanie Goldman is known for her richly colored figures, insightful portraits, boldly painted miniatures, and dynamic charcoal, pencil, and ink drawings. She imbues all of her work with focused creativity and experimentation that intrigue collectors and critics alike. Some of her exhibitions include fifteen unique portraits of children entitled “I Am A Child at The Riverside Art Museum,” “Bearing Exquisite Witness” at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice, a special portrait unveiling of director Erika Torrey commissioned by the Board of Trustees for the Athenaeum in La Jolla, and many group exhibitions including the San Diego Museum of Art, Gotthelf Gallery-La Jolla, San Diego Art Institute, San Diego Natural History Museum, Hyde Art Gallery-Grossmont College, Boehm Gallery-Palomar College, and the Earl & Birdie Taylor Library in San Diego. A selection of her work has been reproduced by Frontlines Publishing, Ramprod, and East Meets West Co. Stephanie teaches figure painting and portraiture at the Athenaeum School of the Arts in La Jolla and has worked with artist Ken Goldman for over two decades collaborating on large and small public and private art projects. For more information, visit www.goldmanfineart.com or Facebook1stephaniegoldman.

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